


His

by NotInLoveWithMars



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, POV Alternating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-21
Updated: 2013-08-22
Packaged: 2017-12-12 14:15:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/812499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotInLoveWithMars/pseuds/NotInLoveWithMars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nina was just supposed to be a normal girl, but one night when her parents decide to go on a sudden vacation things rapidly change. She turns out to be a mutant, her parents are murdered, the X-Men get involved, and one Victor Creed has made her his personal responsibility.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nina

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing from Marvel.
> 
> Note: I have this written out a couple of chapters ahead and will be updating every Tuesday at least until I run out of chapters, which if I continue writing won't be for a while.
> 
> This work switches POV between Nina (OC) and Victor Creed, it will not always be alternating but each chapter title will be the name of the person who's point of view it's told from.

Note: I suck at summaries... but that aside. As much as I tend to avoid OC's I couldn't help it this time, because this story has been eating at me for a while now. It's all alternate universe, and in some cases does have parts that come from the comic, movie, and even some of the cartoons.

I welcome constructive criticism, idea's on how I could make any of the characters more realistic to how they really are, but as it's AU I'm not interested in complaining about people being the wrong age, or things of the like related to the main continuity of the comics. It's all AU, don't worry about it.

OOO

"Nina sweetheart we're going to go on vacation, get packed!" My mom said, excitedly as she moved into my doorway. I looked up, torn between being confused and being excited. "But it's only Wednesday."

"Oh Nina don't worry about that," She said, seeming a little more serious for some reason. "I'll call the school and tell them we have a family emergency. Don't you want to go to Disneyland?"

"Of course!" I said hopping up to start getting packed. "How long are we going to be there for?"

"About a week, we'll see," My mom said waving her hand dismissively.

I frowned, but I didn't say anything, we were in Las Vegas, we weren't that far so spur of the moment trips were not uncommon when we had money. I just had to wonder why this was all so sudden, and more so why we were leaving at almost eight o'clock at night, usually trips were a little more planned out than this.

They'd been acting so odd…

Maybe this was going to be a distraction from it all…

ooo

It had been a quiet, rather tense ride. I was only happy that I'd remembered my ipod. We had only stopped because they finally had to go to the bathroom, even though I had to go for the last three gas stations we passed. Now that I no longer felt like I was going to pop I now had an energy drink that was going to keep me going until well after we got there.

Right now I was just dreading getting back into the car. I had even purposely forgotten to buy a drink…

Looking up to find my parents my heart nearly stopped.

"Mom! Dad!" I yelled as I ran forward, trying to get to them, my drink completely forgotten and somewhere on the ground. I didn't know why this was happening! Why were these men doing this? Why were they doing this right out in the open?! I didn't even know how to work out what was happening in front of me.

Except it was kind of undeniable…

They were hurting my parents!

I…

I…

Oh god my head hurt. My back hurt!

I had been noticed, but my vision was swimming and suddenly I was on my knees.

I didn't know what to do!

I didn't know what was happening to me!

"What kind of freak are you?!" I heard someone above me yell as their shoes thumped off the pavement. I looked up, my vision clearing up only to be faced with a gun. Scrambling to get away I felt pain shatter through my shoulder knocking the air right out of me. Then my leg. I didn't know what to do. I tried to scream but nothing would come out something warm and wet just bubbled up out of my mouth

It felt… I felt… I just felt. It just felt too much.

Something on top of my head moved as someone yelled, and another shot sounded. I was crumpled on the ground though. I couldn't see anything. I couldn't move.

In the back of my mind I knew it must have been the cashier…

There was something was lying across my thigh, wiggled to the forefront of my mind. I hoped it wasn't the cashier, but it didn't feel heavy enough. I tried to struggle to move, but it hurt so much, and I just couldn't.

Then for a while, there was just nothing…

I only opened my eyes when some loud noise sounded, followed by another gunshot…

It felt both sudden and slow, but I could feel the wounds tingle; it was almost like they hurt more and felt better at the same time. Frantically looking around I couldn't understand how I was up and moving. My wounds… they started to hurt less and less, but that anomaly was quickly forgotten as a tall, muscled… huge man stood in front of me, roaring at the others as they warily advanced on us from where they had been standing.

I… whimpered, and reached for him, only for him to look down at me. I could see his fangs since they were still bared… he had fangs. Amber eyes… long blonde hair that was tied back… Another bang rang through the world, and suddenly- I closed my eyes trying to rid that image from my mind. A bullet tearing through his face… there was so much blood…

Now I screamed, opening my eyes I found the blonde man's body next to me on the ground. My heart felt like it stopped. No, it felt like it broke. I didn't know why but it felt like my heart was broken. The other men were coming closer yelling and cursing at us. One was asking why I wasn't dead yet. The closest man kicked the blonde on the ground with me.

After that I don't know what happened.

There was yelling and screaming. My hands were warm and wet, and moving on their own. Things were just flashing. People were yelling and pulling at me, until suddenly they stopped. There was a loud roaring noise, but it was all so distant like only listening to a movie while you did something else.

I only stopped when large arms came around me and a voice breathed against my ear, "Pup, he's dead, you can stop now." Looking I found that not only had I moved from where I'd been on the ground, but the man who had been shot was now holding me. The side of his face was covered in blood… but he seemed fine. Impulsively I turned around and practically crawled more into his arms. He pressed his face to mine, and I could feel part of me moving…

"My god does she have a tail?!"

Whining I tried to pull myself closer to him.

What were they talking about?!

"Leave! or I kill the rest of you now!" The man holding me snarled.

I could hear feet pounding off the pavement like they were pounding off my skull, and looking back I found them running away, getting into cars. I also found something that made me gasp, there were two bodies on the ground. One was… he looked torn apart, and the other… I hid my face against my rescuer… the other's head wasn't on its shoulders right…

"I got you little one," He hummed against my hair. "I got you."

His scent… He smelt so good. Like the outdoors, smoke, and something metallic. He smelt like dark rainy nights, when bad things were happening. I think I was trying to crawl closer to him, even though he was holding me against him. He stood up all the way and walked over a few feet before kneeling down with me.

Then he was rubbing… something on my head with his hand, it felt so good. Still my hands shot up and… I panicked first pushing at his hand then pulling at these furry things that seemed to be attached to me, and wouldn't let go.

"Woah, woah!" He growled, yanking my hands away from my head. "You're going to hurt yourself. Stop pulling at your ears Pup. Calm down." When I stopped struggling, trying to understand what he was telling me, he took one of my hands and had me touch one of the things on my head. "What's it feel like?"

It was hard to tell because it twitched away… but… "A dog ear…?"

"The other one's floppy," He said thoughtfully as he forced my hand away from my head. "You have a tail too…"

I took his word for it…

I wasn't ready to look at myself too much.

"I was shot…" I mumbled looking at him, whimpering, and squirming. My shoulder and leg still felt tender… but it should hurt more. I knew it should hurt more!

"So was I," He chuckled tapping his cheek. It was slick with blood, but I still reached up touching his cheek, even moving towards his jaw to feel the fuzz of his long sideburns. His cheek was perfectly intact, not even a scar to be seen. Looking I noticed my hand was already bloody… but I didn't know why. "You'll be okay by tomorrow, not even a scar." Just like him…

This was too much.

Way too much!

I tried to pull away from him. I needed to find my parents!

Where they okay?!

"Shh, shhh," He hushed me, his voice gravely, but oddly soothing. "You don't need to be looking around anymore."

I opened my mouth, but nothing that sounded like words was coming out. I didn't want to do this. I wanted to ask where my parents were. I wanted to ask who he was. He was so much bigger than me. I was completely dwarfed by him; I was thirteen, but still…

"Pup, calm down," he nearly purred against my cheek. "Listen to me… I'm going to take care of you."

"My parents," I managed, but suddenly it felt like I couldn't breathe… I gripped at his dark clothes and tried to talk to him more, tried to ask my questions. I only stopped when he pressed his forehead to mine.

"Baby, they're gone…"

Then it all fell away…

We were just going on vacation…


	2. Victor

I sighed when she passed out.

Honestly I’d been waiting for it; her heart was beating a mile a minute. She had the look of a scared animal. Now, out like she was, it was easier to see her, even with the blood. Brown hair, one brown ear, the floppy one black, a brown tail with a black stripe down it, and damn it was she leggy. She was the kind of leggy that baby animals were when they hadn’t grown into their bodies yet. There was a small swell to her chest, her face was still all baby though, and her stomach even had a little baby fat to it. I just wanted to keep looking at her. I wanted to see those wide grey eyes again, but I didn’t want to wake her after what just happened.

It was a good thing I’d finished off that guy today. There was just so much desert to work with and I’d spent most of the day finding a good spot to bury what was left of the stiff. I’d been on my way back to Vegas when I’d smelt something irresistible mixed with blood. It was late and dark, all I’d expected to find was a more or less empty road.

Didn’t think I’d find a new pup in the middle of that fun little mess of bodies.

Didn’t think I’d find my mate in a gas station while mobsters were dismembering her parents. For a second I thought she was gone before I even had a chance to see her. She was so small, but she started moving when they took a shot at me…

I ignored the jet setting down next to the gas station for a little longer, but couldn’t deny the smell of the sudden damp in the air from this unnatural fog rolling in, and I could smell Jimmy plain as day. They were late.

I stood up from kneeling with her to find none other than the X-Men. Jimmy was in his ridiculous yellow and blue leather uniform, and the others in their equally idiotic uniforms of varying colors. One had to wonder where they got these things. One-eye, Red, the weather witch, their leader, and that kid Jimmy looked after, Rogue I was pretty sure she went by. She was probably here to comfort the girl, but that probably would work better if she were awake.

She wasn’t though.

Too exhausted, too worn out from all of this, from just changing into what she really was, not to mention all the death.

“We’re here for the girl Sabretooth!” One-eye insisted, going as far as to point at her.

Jimmy glared back at the boy snapping, “He knows Slim!” Then turning back to me Jimmy told me, “Creed, we want to take the girl to the school where she’ll be safe, without parents she’ll need support. The Professor says you’re welcome to come with us,” he snorted, and it was obvious he was having two conversations at once, “Despite the very… graphic way you disemboweled me two birthdays ago.”

“The Professor” was apparently aware that Jimmy was the only one I’d really talk, or listen, to. It was true I might have disemboweled him, on more than one occasion, but I did like him best of the X-Freaks. Didn’t matter any that he didn’t remember we were related. “You’re the one who left yourself wide open,” I insisted as I looked down at him. Even as I said this I was thinking about what he’d said.

This was the first time I’d ever contemplated being an X-Man as I was about two hundred years too old to be a student. Looking down at the pup, and then back up at Jimmy, I wouldn’t call him Logan or Wolverine purely because I didn’t want to, as he stood patiently (for him) in front of me. The way his eyes flicked off to the side every once in a while told me he was still talking to at least one of the telepaths. I didn’t really want to hand her over, but I could already feel their broken leader poking around in my head. While most psychics had little to no effect on me, he was up there in ranking. He could probably make me think I was a little girl for a good while if he wanted, so I’d have to figure something out soon.

I was stuck on the kid though, she was still out like a light, and I couldn’t even explain to her what was going to be happening to her. It made me want to growl and stalk back and forth, but I managed to at least stay still. The last thing I wanted was for her to think I’d abandoned her, especially after everything that just happened. She’d killed a man, and I doubted she’d shrug it off like it was nothing. She’d need someone to go to for a while. It bothered me to think she’d be able to go to Jimmy when I wanted her to come to me.

She was too young to keep though, I knew this.

I couldn’t keep her on the fringes of society with me, not yet, but damn it I wanted her bad. I wanted to keep her safe, it was almost foreign to me, but I wanted to be the reason she was safe. Not Jimmy, not the X-Men, me.

Damn it I needed to stab myself, I was getting sappy.

“Don’t be surprised when I show up at your weird little school to see her Jimmy,” I growled as I handed over the dog-eared kid, carefully. Leading Jimmy into cradling her like I had been. Thirteen, she was fucking thirteen, and so damn tiny even the runt dwarfed her. I would have to figure out what was best for her along the way.

Behind him the red haired frail huffed and puffed, but Xavier rolled forward closer to us. “Mr. Creed, you’re welcome to accompany us to the school now if you’d like.” When I just stared at him, hell even Jimmy was staring at him, he held up his hands saying, “Of course you’re welcome any time in the future, as long as you promise not to cause trouble in my school.”

I glared at the old man for a moment before looking back to Jimmy as he held the pup. She was squirming some, and I reached out pushing some hair out of her face. Growling I gave in saying, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be on my best behavior. I’ve got things to wrap up in this part of the country, but I should be there in a couple months max to check on her. Jimmy, keep any and all of your arrogant prick students away from her, and that one’s,” I pointed at Rogue, “boy-thing away from her too.”

“Gambit’s not like tha’!” The southern teen yelled pointing her finger at me from next to the weather witch.

“How old are you?” I asked raising a brow, asking for a challenge. She was just a kid dating one of the best thieves out there.

“Ah’m eighteen you jerk!” She mouthed off. It irked me as much as I had to respect her for it. She had spark, the pup could learn from her. Hell, I wouldn’t even mind if she spent enough time with the girl to pick up some of that accent.

“As long as she doesn’t touch her with that freaky skin, that one can go near her,” I said as I turned on my heel to leave, “And, Jimmy, make sure she knows I’m coming for her.”

“Hold up,” Jimmy called out, and I turning back I found him watching her struggle weakly in her sleep, “Give me a shirt or somethin’ to keep ‘er calm.”

_Should have thought of that._

Shrugging out of my duster I let it drop to the floor as I unbuttoned the black button up shirt I was in, leaving a wifebeater. I moved back closer to lay the button up on her so Jimmy didn’t have to jostle her to get it himself. Just like that she settled, after hugging it to her. I watched as she even leaned into Jimmy. “There, remember what I said, and I’ll see you soon.”

“Yeah Creed, I’ll keep an eye on her,” Jimmy said as I picked up and put my jacket back on. I nodded before turning on my heel again, and heading off into the fog that was hiding us in the middle of a parking lot. I’d have to make all this quick. Every part of me was resisting leaving her with them. I didn’t like the way that One-eye was just watching the whole time. He’d been plotting. I hated that I couldn’t see the boy’s eyes, even if he was still easy to read…

It was just one more thing to plan for as I made my way to New York.


	3. Nina

“Logan, when’s he coming?” I asked, trying not to whine at the man grading papers behind me. We were in the library, and Logan had taken up residence at the table closest to the window for me so I could see the front drive, even though we both knew he wasn’t even out of Las Vegas yet.

“It’s been a week Kiddo, he said a couple months,” Logan sighed as he pulled me away from the window, literally picking me up and putting me in a chair next to him. “You remember what I told you about him right?”

“He’s a bad horrible man who had a lapse in insanity when he decided to save my butt?” I asked more than said, to make sure I was reciting the right thing. Technically Logan had told me plenty about him, like how his nails could grow like claws, and he was “old as dirt”, and claimed to be Logan’s half-brother. I could see it, though Logan denied they had the same eyes.

“Exactly, now why do you want to see him so much?” Logan asked as he dropped some papers in front of me along with the answer key and a red pen. Since Logan couldn’t convince me to play with the other kids he’d taken to making me be useful while I was hanging off his arm.

“He saved me, and… and just because!” I insisted poking Logan with the pen. “He said he’d come see me, and I want to see him.”

I must have been pouting because Logan was giving me that look. It was slightly bewildered, and like he was torn between scolding me and giving in. I’d noticed the look the first time Logan had to go on a mission. Apparently they’d been going to see a different teenager that just experienced the change when Xavier picked up on what was happening. When they came back I met a girl around my age who had adopted the name Magma. Truthfully I’d just been trying to reattach myself to Logan at the time. I’d spent most of the first few days literally hanging off of Logan.

Sucking my lip in, my ears going back, I looked down and started grading papers with him. I hadn’t even known Creed’s name, Logan had to tell me. Then Professor X had to explain what happened to my parents, but when I started throwing things at everyone Logan had taken back over explaining that “Creed” was going to come and see me and that I needed to be good until then. I’d felt vaguely like a child, but after I calmed down I went back and grudgingly apologized to Ms. Grey, Mr. Summers, and Professor X, before finding Rogue and genuinely apologizing to her because she’d been the only one to actually get hit with something. I hadn’t thought it was fair that she was the only one that hadn’t been protected from my rampage.

“So I still gotta ask him what he wants me to call him?” I asked looking up at the dark haired man next to me.

“Yes,” Logan answered simply, before shaking his head, “Went through that entire ordeal and neither of you got around to names… You’ll call him whatever he wants. Try avoiding calling him Sabretooth unless he says otherwise, he doesn’t actually care for it.”

“How do you know all this?” I asked again as I scooted my chair closer to Logan, my tail wagging a bit. He was the one I’d grown closest too. I didn’t like the other students much, obviously since Logan couldn’t get me to spend time with them, and while I adored Rogue she was usually busy with college, or something, or with Gambit. Gambit was cool, but he was a guy, and like the rest of the males in the school he seemed slightly wary of me despite being a teacher in training. Well he probably wasn’t wary of me, but the looming threat of Victor Creed, and the real threat of Logan.

“Nina, how many times do I gotta answer these questions?” He asked turning his amber eyes on me.

“It’s just I dun know anything about him but what you tell me, and no one else will tell me nothin’ except that he isn’t a good man,” I muttered as I went through and graded the next paper. Only as I finished it up I paused and looked at the paper before it again. “Kitty and Jubilee cheated…”

“I know, I caught them in class, but now I have proof,” Logan sniffed as he took the papers and set them aside from the rest of the graded papers. “Do you have Quire’s paper? I’m thinking of failing him on principle. He might not have pulled the answers out of my brain, but he had to have gotten them out of someone’s.”

“I’m the student here and even I know that’s not fair, you don’t know that he’s not just really smart. Even if he is a pink haired weirdo,” I mumbled before I tilted my head to the side in thought. After a moment I figured I might as well tell Logan, and one ear cocked off to the side, my nose scrunching up a little, I said, “He looked at me for a really long time yesterday before yelling obscenities and wandering off.”

“I’ll look into it,” Logan sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, his claws trying to poke through his knuckles before he relaxed. He then returned to the topic of Creed, saying, “They tell you that because he’s not a good man, Kiddo. Even Chuck knows that, but he’s hoping that you’ll be able to settle him down.”

Looking at Logan I got the feeling he doubted this was possible…

I looked back down at the paper in front of me, happy to find something that would probably put Logan in a good mood. “Hisako got a hundred,” I grinned, my ears perking up as I added her paper to the growing stack in front of us. Logan did seem marginally happier about this new development, as he graded his own stack of papers. I was pretty sure after Rogue started college courses he missed having someone to mentor, and recently I’d been watching more and more training sessions between the two of them. Hisako was pretty, and she hadn’t thought up a nickname for herself either, but I just didn’t know what to say to her, other than the odd _“you can do it”_ while she was sparring with Logan. I didn’t know what to say to any of them really, not even the teachers. Logan just seemed to get me more…

Unlike say… Mr. Summers.

“Logan, she ditched class _again_ today,” Mr. Summers insisted as he walked up, and I was positive he was glaring at me behind those red sunglasses.

“A. Math sucks, and B. You don’t like me,” I growled at him only for Logan to smack upside the back of my head. Glaring at the dark haired man I insisted, “It’s true Logan! He doesn’t like me, so why should I listen to him?”

“Nina you’re supposed to go to all of your classes,” Logan growled back at me.

“I’m not learning from him!” I snapped, pointing at Cyclops, “He’s just an arrogant prick! Someone else must teach math!”

“You stop yelling in my library, and you stop hitting your student!” Karma yelled, her accent vaguely French, as she stormed up to us pointing first at me then at Logan. I’d met Karma the first time I’d found the library. She was nice, she mentored some of the students too young to be a part of the X-Men, or too young to do danger room sessions it seemed. She stopped next to Mr. Summers and pointed at him insisting, “And you stop antagonizing them. You might be field leader Scott, but you’re in my library and you’re causing trouble. Some students in here are trying to study.”

Not many of them I was assuming.

Mr. Summers worked his mouth for a moment before making a displeased noise and storming away from the table me and Logan were at. We weren’t out of the woods though, because Karma turned back to us. After a moment though her features softened, and she said, “Logan, maybe you should get someone else to teach Nina math.”

Logan looked at me, and my ears and tail drooped, before he sighed saying, “I’ll look into it.” Then he added sharply, “Until then you’ll go and suffer through Cyke’s classes.”

I sighed and looked back down at the papers in front of me, and started grading again. “He really doesn’t like me though…” I didn’t even know why. I might not have been all that nice to him, but he hadn’t even tried to be polite to me.

OOO

Author's Notes

Alright, so this chapter may be a little slow. They're going to kind of be for a little bit, but I promise they get better as we go! Actually I might write another chapter between this one and the next pre-written chapter I have, that might help, or add more onto the ending or beginning. SOMETHING. I'll make it more interesting I hope!

Also thank you for my lone kudos giver!


	4. Nina

“You’re that girl.”

I looked up at that with a slight frown, only to sigh as I found one Quentin Quire standing in front of me. He was wearing one of the school uniforms, just like I was, only under his black blazer was a white tee with “Magneto was right” written on it in red with a drawing of what I assumed was his helmet… At least Logan got me pants to replace the green skirt I would have had to wear. I didn’t wear skirts before, and I didn’t really want to wear them now that I was trapped in this uniform during school hours… At least they were provided for me…

“What?” I asked, as I tried to stray away from thinking his hair looked like a comb-over when he wore it like that, I knew it was a mohawk. I also knew he was telepathic, and really had no intention of incurring unsought after wrath of someone who decided to glance in my brain at the wrong moment.

“You’re the girl Logan brought back for Sabretooth,” Quire said as he looked me over while I sat under a tree. I’d come out here with the intention reading through the next couple of chapters of Watership Down. The library was always occupied and a lot of the students here were always trying to make friends with the new kids. It was like they were trying to have the biggest team, and I didn’t really want friends right now, and I sure didn’t want a team. I wanted to be left alone. I’d make friends later when I had Creed around, and I’d managed to work through how my life was going to work out. I was not completely convinced that I could live a normal life, no matter how much Professor X tried to assure me otherwise. I had fucking puppy ears and a tail, there had been a brief moment when I first saw them that I thought they were cool, that I liked myself, and then I realized that I’d have to hide them if I ever wanted to seem normal again…

“I am,” I said as I closed the book and looked up at him, “and you’re the pink haired boy who yelled obscenities the other day, for some reason or another that has to do with me.” 

I wondered if Logan looked into it yet.

“Logan did, and I was cursing because it was unwise to mess with you,” Quire insisted as he continued to stand over me. He really wasn’t very imposing, being all gangly, but oh well.

“I see, so what would you like now, if not to mess with me?” I asked as I rubbed the bridge of my nose. My tolerance for others had never been the best, but lately, since I was surrounded twenty-four/seven I was even less social. Dealing with people took a lot out of me, and I just wanted some alone time.

“Well you see, you have prime bad guy meat probably willing to do anything just to see _you_ smile and I was wondering if you know how much potential power _you_ wielded,” Quire said as he crouched down with a wicked grin.

My ears twitched, and I narrowed my eyes at the boy in front of me. “You think I _wield_ Victor Creed…” I couldn’t help but snort, “I’m thirteen, and he’s a mass murdering psychopath – Mr. Summers words not mine – and you think I wield him. I thought you were smart.” Right now I was looking at him like he had two heads and neither of them was very bright.

“Eh?” Quire asked quirking his brow before he apparently scanned through my mind. It felt funny… I could feel it… was I supposed to be able to do that? But, in any case, I could tell that too much of that would eventually give me a headache. “Huh…” He hummed as he fell back into a sitting position. “You’re right, he probably will groom you to do what he wants, or well Cyclops is right about that too.” His eyes focused back on me and I opened my book back up after that, hoping he’d get bored of me and leave. “Still with my help you could wield him.”

“I’m not helping you destroy the school; I currently live inside it, along with my books,” I growled as I glared up at him. That and I was insulted for Creed that Quire had called him _bad guy meat_.

“Well we don’t have to destroy the whole school,” Quire insisted his eyes glinting mischievously, he obviously thought I couldn’t feel him in my mind. “And, yes, I’m aware that if he found out that I was playing with him he’d eat me alive, probably literally.”

“I’m not helping you Quire,” I huffed as I stood up. “Also Logan said he’d give you detention if you tried to manipulate me, so stop spelunking around in my brain to try and find a way to persuade me.”

“Crap!” He yelped scrambling up onto his feet, “He shouldn’t be allowed to do that, and you shouldn’t be able to do that!”

“He’s a teacher,” I muttered as I collected my backpack as well, though I didn’t know what that part about me meant. This was it; I was going back to the library. I’d just hide in a corner with my back to the room. Nothing said leave me alone like sitting in a corner. As Quire stormed off once more mutter curses I started off to go back inside, only to be stopped by Jubilee.

“Hi! You’re Nina right, that’s your name?” Jubilee asked as she stood in front of me.

We had Modern Lit together… We saw each other every day… I even knew that before this she lived in a mall, and her parents had been murdered too. In theory we had things in common. I didn’t think she was completely annoying it was just…

She wasn’t even sure what my name was…

“Yeah, I’m Nina, and you’re Jubilee,” I said as I managed to bring up a smile. She was a year older than me, but I was taking Modern Lit as an elective, while I assumed, like most of the other students, she was taking it for an English credit.

“I am,” She chirped, “I noticed that Quire was bothering you, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said as I shifted my weight back and forth. It was sort of a lie though, I wasn’t really that fine, but my parents had been killed less than two weeks ago. How fine did everyone around here expect me to be? For now I really just wanted to go to the library, or even just go hide behind Logan some more. However after the incident with Mr. Summers in the library actually I was worried about Karma asking me the same dreaded question of _“Are you alright?”_ just like everyone else. Of course what I _really_ wanted was to be able to hide behind Creed. Victor… Sabretooth. I needed to talk to him so I could figure out what to call him.

“That’s good, do you wan’na come have lunch with me and some others? Ms. Guthrie is taking some of us to a café,” Jubilee said with a friendly smile, “I’m sure she’ll take you too.”

“Ah, no, that’s okay, I ate during the first part of lunch,” I said trying to be polite, though I hadn’t actually eaten yet. I just really didn’t want to go, and I really didn’t want to be forced to socialize. “I was just on my way to the library; Dr. McCoy tutors me in math there after lunch.”

“Oh, well, maybe next time,” Jubilee said before she finally let me scamper off around her.

Of course a couple of minutes later upon entering the library I instantly wanted to walk back out again. Not that I could, or at least I felt like I couldn’t. Ms. Grey of all people would of course notice something like that, and having people play around in my brain was uncomfortable. Instead I tried to skirt around Ms. Grey, who I hoped was really absorbed in what Karma was saying, and headed straight for the isles of books as I tried to keep my thoughts dull and quiet…

I went over what homework I had do for tomorrow, I tried not to think about how I just needed somewhere to sit so I could read, and thought about how at least black and green was a slightly better uniform then khaki, red, white, and blue. Then, I couldn’t help but think about how I could hear and smell her as she moved so she was right behind me. Turning on my heel I smiled saying, “Hi Ms. Grey.”

“Is something troubling you Hun?” She asked as she looked down at me, she seemed genuinely concerned.

“I… well, I’m just trying to get use to things here, and read my book for English class and well… Well, I’d really like it if the telepaths of the school would kindly stop wandering around my brain like their own personal hedge maze,” I rambled before suddenly finding the floor the most interesting thing in the world. There was a patch of carpet beneath my right foot that was lighter than the rest…

“Oh gosh I’m so sorry!” Ms. Grey yelped as she stepped back and the weird feeling in my brain suddenly stopped. “You can feel that?”

“A little bit,” A mumbled as I looked up at her briefly. “Um you know how you feel when someone pokes your arm or stomach lightly, it uh, doesn’t really hurt… in small doses.”

“Can you always feel it?” Ms. Grey asked as she tilted her head.

“Um, I guess, I haven’t really noticed it. I mean I felt weird a lot the first few days, I supposed that could have been it, but I was just talking with Quentin Quire and so I’d been aware that he was, and then I was sort of worried you were listening in on what I was thinking when I came in. So I guess I was just ready for it…” I once more rambled really wanting Logan now. Nothing felt quite as safe as hiding behind a feral that wanted to protect you.

“I see… Have… have you heard anyone’s thoughts, or um voices when no one was talking? Have things floated around you?” Ms. Grey asked as she glanced around us as though books were about to come off the shelves.

“Nope, just lots of whispering during classes, but that’s probably because of the satellite dishes connected to my skull,” I said as I made them perk up to remind Ms. Grey they were there, and to stop from looking like I was scared. It was difficult though and they did as they wished after a second. I frowned then, shifting my weight. “So, um… can I go read now?

“Oh, of course Hun…” Ms. Grey said giving me a light smile. I was pretty sure she wanted to test me, or ask more questions, but I didn’t give her a chance to change her mind and quickly moved down the aisles to find a suitable corner. I was going to need some actual alone time soon or I was going to freak out.

OOO

AUTHORS NOTES:

Originally I was going to go into a Sabretooth chapter next, but I wanted to show a bit more of how Nina was doing when she wasn't attached to Logan's hip. Next with be a Sabretooth chapter!

Also Thank you again to my lone kudos giver who is now also my lone comment giver!

Comments, replies, and reviews are always welcome by everyone!


	5. Victor

_"Her name is Nina Archer D'Amore,"_ Jimmy told me over the phone when I called to check in. I had meant to call sooner, but it hadn't taken as long as I thought to track down the people who'd been there that night and, in the end, I got a little caught up in my mission, _"I told her that when you two talk for the first time she can ask what to call you."_

"How has she been Jimmy?" I asked as I watched the man in front of me. He was beaten and bloody, passed out, but not dead yet. There were some stragglers that needed to be found, and when I woke him back up after this I'd hopefully have the last of the bastards that almost killed the kid. Nina… Damn that name even made her sound small…

_"I think she's fine. I mean Jean thinks she's being antisocial or some shit, but it's probably because Nina threw a lamp at her head the first day."_

That was fine, hell she could throw things at the X-Men all she wanted as far as I was concerned, and I didn't care what Red thought of the pup. As long as Jimmy was keeping her safe, and thought she was doing alright. She was a new feral, she probably wouldn't be a social animal, especially if it hadn't been in her nature to begin with. Not everyone was a natural pack animal.

_"She's also staring at me right now, wagging her tail,"_ Jimmy chuckled, and I could hear her asking if she could talk to me.

I grinned at that asking, "You've explained that I'm a murdering psychopath right?" Part of me worried that they'd turn her against me despite the feeling I got that Xavier wanted me on his team. Magneto had wanted me on his side too. Actually the fact that Jimmy was being so casual about this was even strange. I thought he'd be the first to try and warn the kid away from me…

_"Many times, she doesn't care; kid's fucking strange, Creed. Cyke tried to scare her by telling her that you'd disemboweled me, and murdered innocent people. She didn't care; actually she threw a book at him, and got him right in the side of the head."_ Jimmy insisted, sounding rather proud of the kid. Apparently Jimmy, and the rest of them, had been trying to warn her away, the pup just didn't care. Jimmy after dealing with it for two weeks was probably just resigned to the fact that she wanted me. Probably helped that I hadn't handed him his ass lately.

"Alright, give 'er the phone then, I'll talk to her before I get back to work," I told him as I stood up and walked out of the motel room, just in case the guy woke up screaming. I didn't really want to explain to her the exact reason I wasn't coming to see her right now.

_"Hi!"_ An excited little voice chirped into the phone, and considering the grunt I heard in the background I imagined she crawled right onto Jimmy to get the phone from him.

"Hey pup, until ya get older you'll call me Mr. Creed," I told her first off. When she was older we'd talk about it. Time was a funny thing, though. I was over two hundred; realistically she wouldn't be older for a long time. When she was less of a runt I'd consider it though.

It didn't seem to dampen her mood as she happily said, _"Kay, Mr. Creed."_

I had to smile at that, but it didn't last long and I frowned. I couldn't help but think about what Jimmy had told me about her and One-eye. Compelled to be sure she wasn't having too hard of a time, since I couldn't see her, I asked, "You're doing alright, right Pup?"

_"Yeah, I guess. Logan's taking care of me, and some of the others are really nice but…"_

She didn't want them.

I could hear it in her voice.

"I'm going to come see you soon. You'll have to make do with Jimmy until I can finish up here," I told her, my voice a little rough. I'd never done this kind of thing, "But I'll come to see you." I wanted to see her. This was just a horrible little tease, only being able to hear her. I felt like a damn animal, wanting to look around for her because she sounded so close. Finding and losing her had been so fucking sudden I felt crazy… crazier.

_"Are you going to stay?"_ She asked desperately, _"Are you going to stay with me when you get here?"_

"I haven't decided yet Darlin'," I explained wanting to nudge my face against hers, but instead I leaned against the rail of the walkway that looked down on the parking lot. "If I don't stay at the mansion though, I won't go far unless it's for a job." These new feelings were twisting me up. The guy inside the room better talk soon or I was going to finish him off I was so on edge. This place had a lot of vacancies and the owner was good buddies with my last employer. After I'd finished off my marks, he'd rented out half the building so I could put this to bed.

_"Why didn't you come with me?"_ She whined. I could practically smell her tears over the phone, and I could hear Jimmy awkwardly trying to calm her.

Growling I walked down the way and opened up the room I'd been sleeping in. "I had to finish some things Darling," I told her as I walked over to the closet and pulled out a duffle bag. I couldn't keep still anymore. "I couldn't leave with you because I'm working. I'll be there soon." I wanted to be the one holding her. I wanted to see her, and bury my face in her hair. Fuck, I didn't know what to do with a mate this young. If she was older…

I wouldn't have handed her over, we'd still be fucking.

_"How soon?"_ Nina whimpered, her voice muffled, I assumed because she was pressing her face against Jimmy.

I pulled a box out of my bag. It was one of those plastic containers where the lid flipped open after you opened the latch. Inside this one were vials and various drugs. I'd put simple labels on them in case someone else found them, they'd have to guess or test them. I knew what they were, and the one I wanted would help wrap this up faster. "So soon Darlin', so very soon" I hummed to her. "I'll be there as fast as I can. I know I said a couple months, but it'll be sooner Pup."

_"A-are you doing something bad?"_ She asked her voice sinking down so it was quieter.

The label on this vial read _TRUTH_ on the top; it was admittedly one of the easier labels to guess. "It's only a little bad Pup," I chuckled. She already knew me so well. She could probably hear it in my voice. "Don't you worry on it."

_"I won't, but… couldn't you just come here?"_ Nina asked, her voice pleading.

"Soon," I managed softly, before I ground my teeth together. "Give the phone back to Jimmy, Darlin', I gotta talk to him about something," I told her sternly, leaving little room for argument.

_"Will you call again?!"_ She asked quickly, Jimmy had to have heard me; he was probably trying to take the phone back.

"Yeah Pup, I'll call again in a couple days, now let Jimmy have the phone," I coaxed her as I pulled out a capped, unused, needle from the box as well, shoving both the vial and the needle into my pocket. This time she relented and I could hear Jimmy telling her to go to the mess hall. That was right; it was probably around dinner time there.

_"Alright Creed, what do you need?"_ Jimmy asked gruffly.

"She talking about what happened?" I asked as I walked out of my room and headed back to the other one. She'd basically gutted a man with her bare hands. I suspected something like that might need to be gotten off her chest.

_"She doesn't remember a whole lot about it, Professor says she repressed it. He can't even access the whole memory,"_ Jimmy sighed heavily. _"Remembers you though. Woke up demanding to see you, even if she didn't know your name. We had to tell her you were on your way, and after that we had to tell her that parents were dead…"_

"She's got nightmares doesn't she?" I asked with a sigh of my own. It seemed our whole pack had problems when it came to sleeping. I had to assume she was just like me and Jimmy.

_"Yeah, she comes and wakes me up, Rogue told me that she found her once and she sat with her,"_ Jimmy explained, _"I practically had to hold her down to get your shirt from her to wash it."_

I couldn't help but chuckle a little at that last part. She'd get over it once I got there, but still it was cute to think of her fighting with Jimmy over my shirt of all things. "Just keep her happy until I get there." Once I was there she'd have the real thing.

_"What's Nina going to think of you staying away from her to kill those men?"_ Jimmy asked with a slight growl. He knew me too well too, and pushing some of my blonde hair out of the way I looked out at the parking lot again. It only took over a hundred years but our pack was expanding, in time we'd all get each other more. Jimmy would start to understand again.

"You'll thank me when she's older and doesn't have to go looking for them to do it herself," I growled back. With pack like me and Jimmy it was practically a sure thing that she'd get it in her head to get revenge. This way I'd have it all done and out of the way. They'd all be very dead, and my little mate wouldn't have to lift a finger.

_"Fine, but you better hurry up,"_ Jimmy said, and I could just hear how much he hated that I was right. _"You're not losing your touch are you Old Man?"_

"I'm not the one teaching a bunch of ankle biters history Jimmy-boy," I laughed before hanging up on him. It was time to get back to work.

OOO

AUTHORS NOTES:

Alright! Things are going to start moving a little faster after this, and hopefully get better. And SOON they'll actually be in the same place! You'll get to see a little more of their dynamic, and then I'll start getting into the good stuff after that.

I'm a little iffy about how Logan and Creed are interacting, but we'll chalk it up to Logan still being more or less memory-less and not taking being beaten up every birthday to hard... We'll see...

THINGS!

Well usually this would be the space where I answered replies but because Archive is nifty I've taken to answer the comments in the actual comment section! Thank you for all of my readers nonetheless!


	6. Nina

“I don’t want to stay here!” I yelled into the phone after Logan locked me into the office. He’d actually called Mr. Creed himself before shoving me into the room with directions to pick up the phone and talk to him. “Please! I can’t stay here anymore! I want you!”

_“Pup, what’s going on? Jimmy says you’re flipping out,”_ Creed asked, his tone was verging on serious. He obviously wasn’t sure what was going on, and he apparently didn’t know which road to take – to scold me for being ridiculous or be worried for me and angry at someone else.

“Nothing!” I whined, “I just don’t want to be here anymore!”

He growled over the phone, he knew which road to take now, and snarled, _“Don’t you fucking lie to me little girl. Tell me what happened, now.”_

I whimpered and sunk down onto the floor near the desk even though there was a chair right there. I didn’t want to talk about this. I wanted to leave. “I want to be with you…” I tried to distract him. It didn’t work and he growled more over the phone and quickly I stammered, “H-he said it was my fault! He said ev-everything was my fault and that you were just using m-me, and that you were going to… to leave me here when you were finished!”

_“I told you I’d be on a plane at the end of the week, and I’d think about staying in the mansion,”_ He reassured me before asking, _“Now who said all of this? What did he say was your fault?”_ I knew that tone, he thought I wasn’t being reasonable. Logan had just used the same tone on me, but I wasn’t being unreasonable. I didn’t want to be in this place. I’d been here for more than a month; it was more than enough time to know I didn’t want to be here.

“He said you didn’t really want me and that it was my fault those people in the parking lot died!” I cried, and I could hear growling from not only Mr. Creed, but Logan too as he stood outside the door. “He said I killed them, and I didn’t belong here! Well! I don’t want to belong here I want to be with you!”

_“Who?”_ His voice was deadly serious, and I just shuffled closer to the desk, trying to hide there, even though I knew he couldn’t see me. I wasn’t going to tell him but he demanded, _“Tell me who said this, or I won’t come to see you.”_

“Mr. Summers…” I mumbled out quickly, “Ms. Grey said he didn’t mean it, that he was just frazzled, but he did.” You didn’t say something like that on accident.

_“Nina baby, I’m going to be done working in less than an hour, I can try to get there sooner,”_ He sounded so frustrated, his voice was rough and on edge. There was a solid thud in the background of something hitting something else, what I didn’t know. _“Just stay with Jimmy, Darlin’, I don’t want you to run away.”_ There was a pause and he insisted, _“It dun matter what he said, I want you, and you’re going to stay with Jimmy.”_ I could tell he was aggravated, but he just wanted me to stay where I was… But, I didn’t belong here…

I hadn’t wanted to think it, and I wasn’t sure… but Creed would know… I didn’t want to ask, and I cradled the phone between my shoulder and the side of my head so I could wipe at my face. I wasn’t even sure why I was crying, I didn’t want to cry over this I just wanted him to come and get me.

_“Come on Pup, don’t you cry. You’re not just any frail. You cut that out.”_ Creed tried to coax me into being stronger. I didn’t feel strong though. I just wanted to be held. That was all, I wanted to be held and I didn’t want it to be true, what I did. I was almost positive I’d done it.

“But… I killed someone. I killed someone didn’t I Mr. Creed?!” I sobbed my question.

There was silence for a couple of moments before he said, _“Pup we’ll talk about this when I get there.”_

That meant I did, didn’t it?! It was practically proof.

“I want to be with you!” I cried as I started to curl in on myself. Behind me I heard the door open, and while the phone had fallen I could hear Creed trying to say something. Logan sat down behind me, pulling me to him before he retrieved the phone.

“Creed, you can’t do anything to him,” Logan insisted as he held me to him. I could hear Mr. Creed on the other end as well. “I know he caused all this, but she would’ve remembered eventually.”

_“If he so much as looks at her funny I’ll rip his eyes out Jimmy,”_ Creed snarled. I turned and pulled myself closer to Logan, wishing he was Mr. Creed. _“How did this happen? You’re supposed to protect her Jimmy!”_

“I am Victor, I’m protecting her, it doesn’t mean I’m keeping her attached to my belt loop,” Logan sighed, frustrated. By the look he was giving the floor, I supposed he was frustrated with himself.

_“Until I get there she better be now!”_ Creed practically yelled into the phone, if my ears weren’t practically super-glued to my skull I figured they would be now. It made both me and Logan cringe. _“Now give her the phone.”_

“Hi…” I breathed when Logan put the phone about where my ear used to be.

_“You stay with Jimmy; I’ll be there as soon as I can get a different flight,”_ Creed insisted, _“Do not run away. If you run away you will find out why they keep telling you I’m a bad man. You understand me Pup?”_

“Yes, Mr. Creed…” I told him as I leaned against Logan more. After that all I heard was the dial tone, and Logan leaned up putting the phone back on the receiver.

“I’m going insane… I’m helping Victor Creed,” Logan breathed as he leaned over me, holding me tighter. “Kid, why couldn’t you have taken to someone else?”

“I don’t know…” I mumbled hopelessly. “I just can’t help it…”

ooo

“Nina, child, I’m sorry that Scott treated you in such a way,” Professor Xavier said as Mr. Summers stood next to his desk. Logan stood behind me, his arms crossed over his chest. “He’s just very nervous about Mr. Creed coming to the mansion.”

I didn’t say anything; I just looked down at my hands as they sat in my lap. I didn’t care if he was nervous or scared, I just didn’t care. I wanted Mr. Creed to be here. I wanted to just hide in Logan’s room, even if I didn’t have a roommate yet and would have been alone in my room. When the silence continued, and I didn’t move Logan shifted his weight saying, “Well thanks to Slim over there, he’s currently trying to get here faster.”

“Nina, none of what happened back in Las Vegas wasn’t your fault,” Professor X insisted gently. “Your parents were involved with the wrong people, and Mr. Creed was defending you, and you were defending yourself.”

Only I wasn’t.

I’d attacked that man because they’d kicked Mr. Creed, who at the time I thought was dead. Frowning I muttered, “I just want to go to my room.” At least Ms. Grey and Professor Xavier promised to stay out of my head from now on.

I wasn’t looking at any of them; I didn’t know their reactions to this. However, after a moment Professor X sighed saying, “Of course Nina, you can go up to your room.”

I didn’t waste any time I shot up and headed out of the room. I was already outside when I heard Logan say, “Slim you’re just digging yourself a big hole messing with that girl. I don’t know what shoved that stick up your ass about Nina, but you better get Jeanie to remove it before Creed gets here. If he catches you pulling this shit he won’t hesitate to go after you. You don’t mess with a feral’s mate like that.”

“Mate? She’s thirteen!” Mr. Summers practically screeched jolting me to a halt.

“Doesn’t change a thing, bub, she is what she is to him.”

“Professor you can’t possibly let them be together!”

“He’s not going to be able to stop them, maybe there can be some rules imposed on them… maybe. If he tries to keep them apart though, Creed will tear the school apart to get her, or Nina will just run away to find him.”

Wolverine was right, but there was also that feeling skimming lightly across my brain.

“Both of you need to stop,” the professor said shortly, “Logan, Nina is waiting for you in the hall.”

After a moment Logan walked out of the office and over to me, putting his arm around my shoulders as he said offhandedly, “You really shouldn’t eavesdrop on people Kiddo.”

Once we started walking I frowned as I asked, “Is there something wrong with me?” There had to be a reason that Mr. Summers didn’t like me, and why I couldn’t get along with most of the student body. It was just too much sometimes. I didn’t like being swarmed… I didn’t really like people that much anymore…

“Nah, there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re just a regular kid,” Logan said as he looked down at me, before grinning as he added, “You know except for the puppy ears, and tail. Of course it could be worse, you could be blue. I mean ask Hank or the elf, it’s apparently very difficult to be blue.”

I smiled at that and tried to joke, “Or I could have metal rulers that come out of my fists at inopportune moments.” Actually Dr. McCoy had told me that too when I’d complained about my ears.

Logan laughed good naturedly at that saying, “There’s always that.”

“Is a mate what I think it is?” I asked quietly as we made it to more populated parts of the school.

“More than likely,” Logan sighed as I looked up at him. He was frowning, and looked mildly uncomfortable.

“I’m thirteen Logan, I got _the talk_ already,” I told him, which didn’t seem to make him any more comfortable so I assumed that I really was right. “Is that why he’s like that with me? Why everyone doesn’t like him, but I do?”

“Probably,” Logan said he lead us towards the dorms.

“I feel sort of crazy…” I mumbled.

“You’re not the only one,” Logan mumbled back, “Look, Victor is probably going to stay in the mansion now. I don’t want you to instigate anything between him and Cyke. Got it? If you turn them against each other too badly then he’s not going to be able to stay here.”

I nodded, saying, “I’ll try not to do anything to make it worse.”

OOO

AUTHORS NOTES:

Alright, so I'm posting this a little late tonight, but it is still Tuesday! Where I am .

And Victor is piiiiisssed, and both Nina and Logan feel nuts, what more is there to say?

Also tonight or tomorrow night I'll be posting another chapter it'll depend on how fast I can edit the next chapter. This is kind of just in thanks to my reviewers! As few as they are but still I figure I'll do a double post this week, it'll just be how fast I can manage.


	7. Victor

Jimmy was out front waiting for me when I got there even though it was so late.

Getting there had been a boring, tedious, and long ordeal. All I wanted was to see Nina and get in some rest before my abnormal amount of patients finally snapped and I killed everything, I was talking things that weren't even alive. Stuck in a small space with all those people did nothing but bother me the entire way. The layover while uneventful people-wise had been long as fuck, delayed, made longer, and then moved to a different docking station when the one everyone was at got stuck, and by the time his section was called for boarding the frazzled attendant almost cried when she dropped his ticket positive that he was going to eat her. He'd been civil though, picked it up for her, and explained he was going to see someone important and that she could stop crying because he wasn't going to cause another delay.

A few sniffs later he was on the plane and things finally went according to plan.

Now after turning off the truck and hopping out I stopped in front of Jimmy waiting for him to start on whatever spiel they made him prepare. No doubt there were rules, and we might as well get them out of the way first thing. Of course Jimmy didn't let me down, listing off, "Don't hurt the students, the staff, or anyone else on the campus for that matter. No taking jobs that require you to maim and/or murder someone while you're living here, in fact if you're going to stay here you're going to work here… once we find something you can actually teach… or do, probably do, by yourself… somewhere…" He waved his hand, I imagined he was thinking of me in a dark room somewhere in the lesser known regions of the mansion doing something tedious, "Also, I hope I don't have to say this, but she's underage keep it in yer pants bub."

"For tonight that's fine, let's go," I said shortly motioning for him to get moving. She was so small, and so damn young. Nature, God, whatever you wanted to stick the blame with was one twisted fuck making me want someone so innocent. You would think I at least would have found her when she was older, old enough that I wouldn't feel bad about corrupting her.

That of course, in and of itself, was an anomaly. Me feeling bad about something, let alone something I hadn't even done yet.

In any case she was too young, and that wouldn't change for a while now.

"Did you steal that truck?" Jimmy asked as he led me up the stairs, deeper into the school. Of course I'd been inside before, but it'd never been a leisurely walk, I looked around as we walked. It was homey, there were generic landscape paintings on the walls, vases with flowers or miniature copies of Italian sculptures sat on end tables… I was going to get bored of this place fast.

"No it's rented," I offered, as we walked passed doors that smelt of kids and teenagers. I only got the car so I could take Nina out if she needed things, and to buy larger items if I didn't like my room here. I got the feeling I wouldn't. "The papers are in the glovebox, so don't ditch it somewhere."

"Give me the keys than, I'll move it around into the garage." Jimmy offered, and I handed them over just as he stopped us in front of a door. He pocketed my keys before pulling out a different set. My eyes narrowed as he told me, while he unlocked the door, "There are students on either side of her, so keep it down."

"Why's her door locked?" I asked as I glared at Jimmy. They better not be caging her in.

"She locked it, with a school full of hormonal kids, some of which can blow the school up we have to be able to get in with more than _our words_. She's refused to go to classes, or leave her room until you got here," Jimmy explained with a tired tone. "She locked it after Jean came in even after she told her to go away." Then with a final shrug he said, "If you want a room pick one on two floors up, I'm the only other one up there. Stay out of my room." I assumed no one wanted to be near me, and Logan didn't want to be near any of them. We were probably sharing converted attic space…

Just like that I was left alone outside the pup's door. No threats. I almost wanted to get him back here just to fight with him, but there were more important things to take care of. I opened the door, checking inside before moving all the way in. There was a bundle of blankets on the bed, and no one in the room. The bundle twitched occasionally and the small sounds of her steady breathing sounded, so stalking a little closer I looked around the room to see our surroundings.

It was rather bare, impersonal. It didn't have any of the trinkets girls her age usually had. They had to have gone to Vegas and retrieved her things? Somehow I was sure Nina was here legally, so they must have had a chance to get her things, even put her parents stuff into storage. After all there was a lone teddy bear, that had obviously seen years of love, sitting on the dresser in front of the mirror, the book shelf was filled with books that mostly look like fiction, and the desk was covered in papers and notebooks (though that simply could have been homework), but other than that there wasn't anything that told the room belonged to anyone…

I mentally shrugged; I'd get her whatever she wanted later. I had money to burn, since I didn't spend most of what I made simply because there wasn't ever much I wanted. In my line of "work" most things were liable to get blown up or destroyed in some way anyway. I had lifetimes of cash waiting around for when I felt greedy. Now that I was sticking around somewhere for a while, I was even thinking about getting a vehicle of my own, maybe a Harley.

Right now I carefully tugged a blanket out of the way. She was wearing my shirt, curled up in a ball, and it tugged at me. I could feel my face relax into a more content expression, and even smiled as her tail swished a little. I moved, sitting down on the edge of the bed, seeing if she'd wake up on her own. I'd only just moved her hair out of the way when she jolted up. She looked at me for all of a second before launching herself at me. "Hey there Pup," I mumbled as she held onto me. I didn't want to rile her up any more than she already was, I wanted her to go back to sleep after we were finished.

"I missed you," Nina whimpered as she crawled further onto me. Her face was at my neck, and she was straddling my lap now. "I missed you so much."

"Did something else happen after we talked?" I asked as I moved around on the bed so I was propped up in the corner with her. I wondered if someone made her talk to them about how she killed that guy now that she at least knew she'd done it. Maybe it'd been Red and that's why she locked everyone out…

"No, I just, I didn't want to see anyone. I didn't feel like it. I don't want them," Nina clung to me tighter if possible as she lied. It wasn't a very big one, but I already knew Red had been the one that caused her to lock herself up. Instead of reprimanding her I sighed, pressing my fingers through her shaggy shoulder length hair to find her ears. Really they were huge when she put them up, but they were pressed down against her head. Once I'd captured her ears, pried them up a little more like it, and started to rub them she seemed to settle down more. Of course it could have also been how deeply she was breathing me in. If my scent did half of what hers did for me she'd be able to get high off it.

She smelt so damn good…

After a couple of minutes I told her, "It's alright Pup, things'll get better now." Once I was sure she was calm I let go of her ears to cup her face, getting her to look at me. She had a little blush going on, and her eyes were heavy-lidded. It made me give a toothy grin seeing all this and she was right next to my claws. Nina wasn't in any danger, but she leaned into one of my hands, not the least bit scared. After I pressed my forehead to hers saying, "I'm going to stay at the mansion, and I don't want you to leave it without me, or Jimmy if I say it's okay." I knew what was out there and more than that I knew what could get into the mansion with minimal trial and error.

People like me.

She nodded contently, and I thought I'd have to tell her again, but she stopped for a second before smiling wider. "You're going to stay with me?" She asked as she moved to nuzzle my cheek.

"Yeah Pup I'm gonna stay here and put up with the good guys for you," I told her, as I let her continue to nuzzle and cling to me, "At least for now."

"Will you take me with you if you leave?" She asked as she leaned back to look at me. She looked so hopeful.

"Maybe," I said brushing my thumb over her cheek. "It'll depend." If I was leaving to keep her safe of course she wouldn't be allowed to come. It would depend on if I needed to hide her, or if Jimmy and the X-Men could take care of her. If I was just leaving to leave, then of course she could come with me. After she graduated they couldn't even really argue with me. Nina was mine, our proximity to each other didn't change that. Whether I was inside her or on the other side of the globe she was mine, even One-Eye would get it eventually. Like when I tried to take out his eyes for picking on my cub.

"I won't get in the way," She whined, looking put out.

"I'm not leaving any time soon Kid, calm down," I chuckled as I loosely put my arms around her. "You're view of time will change when you get around that century mark."

"What do you mean?" Nina asked her eyes widening.

"That healing power you got. It's gonna keep you young, and living for a damn long time," I explained, before coaxing her back up against me. She'd need some sleep. Tomorrow was Saturday and I was going to take her out and get her anything she might want. "Now get some sleep Pup."

Nina huffed against my chest, but after she sufficiently deflated against me. It didn't take long for her to start squirming. Then she peeked up at me asking, "Can we lay down Mr. Creed?"

I pressed my face to her hair, taking in her scent before mumbling, "Yeah, alright, hold on." I picked her up setting her down on the bed before I got up. I walked over to the desk, shrugged my duster off onto the chair, and the shirt followed before I sat down to get off the combat boots I was wearing. I paused thinking about my pants, but only undid my belt and pulled it off. For tonight I'd sleep in my jeans. Once I was finished I crawled back onto the bed with her, tucking her against my side as I laid us down.

She squirmed a little more, getting comfortable, before settling with a hand against my side. It was an odd feeling, her against my skin. Actually, this whole thing was odd feeling. I didn't even know what I was doing. I was stuck between awestruck and uncomfortable. This was all so damn new; it almost felt like it was too much to take in at once. Still I was in awe of her. Nina was so little, and obviously vulnerable, yet there she was curled up against my side slowly drifting off to sleep. It made me feel soft to some degree, but there was still that part of me that would maim anyone who so much as looked at her funny. I guess until the day that changed I didn't have to worry.

Sighing I looked at her one more time before relaxing back and closing my eyes, there'd be time later to dissect these feelings.

OOO

AUTHORS NOTES:

The extra chapter as promised!

Victor and Nina are finally back together! Sort of a tame night meeting. I'm not completely pleased with how this is all turning out, but I think what I'll do is do some major editing to the next couple of chapters.


	8. Nina

“Do I have to?” I asked as he fitted a slightly oversized newsboy hat on my head. He’d gotten Logan to borrow it from one of the girls (it smelt like Kitty) so we could go out. Along with a long peasant skirt I assumed also came from Kitty though it didn’t smell as strongly of her. I assumed she didn’t wear it much. It was black, much like the hat and I frowned as I looked down at myself. I didn’t like it, but I had to hide both my ears and my tail. Mutants may have started to peek through the edges of society, but Mr. Creed didn’t want to draw attention to us more than he’d do all by himself.

“Well since you don’t want your old things we’re going to get you new things,” Creed said as he leaned down a little to look me over, “ Besides, I need stuff too, so if you want to stay with me you’re going to have to come along.”

After he woke me up, practically carrying me down to breakfast after shoving me into pants, I got to explain why I didn’t have anything in my room. It had been awkward and everyone was staring at us, but I told him how I didn’t want my old things after what happened to my parents. It was all in storage except for my books, some of my clothes, and my bear, Xavier had said he’d keep it until I was eighteen and then I could sell it all if I didn’t want it. All of this had somehow led to me being forced into shopping with him…

“I don’t like these clothes…” I muttered as I glanced at myself in the mirror beside us. “Why’d I have to end up looking like a fanboys’ wet dream? You and Wolverine don’t have animal ears or tails.”

“Please don’t describe yourself like that,” Creed groaned as if the description had literally pained him in some way, while he lifted the hat and put it a little further back on my head. “And I have these claws,” he showed me his black claw like fingernails, “you could have gotten them too.”

“Dr. McCoy says I could be blue and fuzzy all over, but that doesn’t make me feel better either,” I huffed as I looked also noticed his amber eyes were a bit more animal like than my own grey ones. “At least you don’t look like an anime character.”

“Pup, you look fine, and if you want I’ll get you better clothes to hide your tail, not to mention your own hat,” Creed hummed as he finally stopped fiddling with my outfit and stood up to his full height. I wasn’t entirely sure why he’d been so interested in my clothes, but I hadn’t objected since I’d done the actual dressing of myself. Now that he wasn’t leaning down to my height I could see that he definitely dwarfed my 5’2 self. “Now quit yer bitching and let’s get going. I want to get out of here before Red comes back to make sure I’m not _doing things_ to you.”

“I don’t know how old she thinks I am, but I know exactly what _things_ she thinks you’re doing to me so she doesn’t need to speak in code,” I huffed as I busied myself with brushing imaginary dust off the skirt. At least the white lacey tank I wore was mine, and fit properly. “I lived in Vegas for crying out loud.”

“It’s cause you’re so scrawny, they forget how old you are,” Creed chuckled as he patted my cheek before he started leading me from my room.

ooo

He was holding my hand.

We were in the middle of the mall and he was holding my hand. I tried not to blush, but I knew I was so I just kept my head down. I didn’t see why he had to hold my hand. I wasn’t about to tell him to stop though, because I did like it. I just didn’t know why he was holding my hand.

“How about that store?” Creed suggested as he nodded towards another store, this one geared towards darker clothing. It was a vast improvement from the store downstairs that seemed to seep the color pink into the air. Even he’d looked mildly uncomfortable at the thought of going inside.

“I guess so,” I said glumly before letting him take me into the store. The woman at the booth in the middle that held the cash register tore her eyes from the teenagers even I thought were stealing to look at us, and I could tell she was trying to decide if we were related. Her hair was a shocking color of blue and cut pixie short, she had spiked earrings and a labret, but her eyes scrutinized us like she were eighty and she was trying to decide if we were scandalizing her.

Creed must have realized this too because he let go of my hand and nudged me towards a wall of T-shirts saying, “Stay in sight sweetheart, wouldn’t want you to get lost, your dad would kill me.”

I looked at him balefully wondering if Logan was my dad in this situation, but I moved closer to the T-shirts and set about looking for new clothes anyway. There were other things in here too, like figures, and posters, Creed wanted to get me things like that too… He wanted me to be comfortable in my room, because it was apparently obvious that I wasn’t comfortable anywhere in that place. I just wanted him to stay with me, but he moved over to the counter and leaned against it talking to the girl. I listened to what they were saying the best I could without making my ears twitch.

“Oh, she’s my niece,” He said, and I could just hear his grin. “I’m spending some time with her while my brother’s out of town.”

“That’s so sweet of you!” The woman cooed and when peeked over at them I noticed she was wearing a corset and she was now leaning on the counter too.

Huffing I looked back at the shirts, before moving off to some pants. They were baggy… maybe if I could find the right size it’d hide my tail… This also gave me a good view of Creed though I was tuning out their conversation by concentrating on the loud music playing in the store. He was smiling charmingly, and she seemed to be the right kind of odd to like his fangs instead of being wary of them. My jaw clenched as I watched him openly look her over. I had half a mind to march right over there and inform her that I was not his niece, and that I was…

I stopped that train of thought and pointedly looked at the sizes of the pants before finding one I suspected would fit me… Only to put it back on the rack. Sulking I moved to a different rack. These were tighter and had straps that connected to them to look like suspenders. I took what I hoped was my size off the hanger and held them up to me before deciding they’d probably fit and moving onto some other things. There were some skirts, but none of them were remotely long enough to hide my tail. I wondered if Creed would care how long of a skirt I wore, or if Logan would care.

I picked up one that looked like it would fit me, and I forced myself not to put them down. Instead I grabbed a T-shirt with a ribcage on it, then a belt with bullets on it. It was about then I noticed a man that also worked there. I forced up a polite smile and asked, “You guys got a fitting room?”

“Yeah in the back over there,” He said pointing towards the corner, “Just go in.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled before scurrying over. I walked into the small back room and into one of the booths, shutting the door behind me. Pushing off the skirt I first tried on the pants. I was obviously shorter than the target audience for these clothes, but they fit otherwise sitting just under the base of my tail. After a moment I shimmied out of them before trying on the skirt. It was sufficiently short, but it fit, and I added it back to the pile ignoring the shirt I knew would fit before putting Kitty’s skirt back on, making sure my tail was inside and I was holding it down so no one would notice the bump.

They fit more than I liked them but if Creed was going to flirt with the sales clerks I might as well spend his money…

That tasted wrong, but I ignored the urge to put the clothes back and moved back out into the store with my finds. Overpriced socks and underwear found its way to the pile as well. It was right about then Creed showed up behind me whispering, “You weren’t supposed to leave my sight.”

“You were busy,” I growled lowly as I grabbed a vinyl figure Jack Skellington.

“Are you jealous?” Creed asked, sounding very smug about it.

“Why should I be jealous?” I asked looking up at him innocently, “I’m just a kid, besides there are plenty of boys my age to flirt with back at school.”

That got him to growl at me, and I couldn’t help but be a bit proud of myself as I looked back at the other toys and things. I was suddenly less proud when he leaned over my shoulder, his hand at the back of my neck as he growled against my ear, “You think yer being cute Pup, but you’re just playing on dangerous ground.”

I wanted to argue, but I didn’t want to make a scene so I just stayed still until he backed off.

“Finish up, Nina let’s find a different store,” He said sounding calmer.

It didn’t take long after that for me to decide I was finished. I grudgingly stayed quiet as Creed chatted with the woman again before she slowly finished ringing us up. I took his hand this time practically dragging him from the blue haired woman. I didn’t like her, and I didn’t like how Creed kept staring at her chest, or how she was practically trying to squirm out of her clothes for him. Once we were far enough away that I couldn’t smell the woman anymore I let Creed take back over in leading, and I instead watched the ground.

“I’m serious Pup,” He told me, his voice calm, “Don’t do things just to piss me off. She was just nice to look at, and she obviously thought I was doing dirty things with you when we first walked in.”

“It’s not fair,” I mumbled as I glanced up at him. “Why’d I have to be so young?”

“You won’t always be so young Pup,” He mumbled back, though I was fairly certain that he also asked himself this question.

I stole a couple glances at him after that. His blonde hair was tied back, a few bits and pieces escaped to hang in his face. He had a strong jaw, and amber eyes… I looked down at our hands; his were so much bigger than mine. His shoulders were so broad that if he hugged me I doubted anyone would be able to see me, especially with the black duster he wore. He was just wearing jeans and a white tee under it this time. Frowning I looked back down at the ground. I was going to have to give him back his shirt…

“We forgive each other, now how about this store?” He said, even though he didn’t wait and walked us into another store. This one was bigger and more generic. It looked like it had sections for men and women, as well as girls and boys, and ages in between.

“I like how you decided I forgave you,” I said as I rose a brow at him.

“Next time I’ll let them think I’m abusin’ you,” Creed shrugged before he grinned down at me. “Besides you wouldn’t look at me so much if you were that angry at me.”

I huffed but I leaned into him as he led me over to my section of the store.

ooo

Once he seemed to feel I had enough things, which was like pulling teeth because I didn’t want anything (and he only admitted I had enough when I threatened to run away) he finally started shopping for himself. He didn’t get many clothes, I suspected the ones he picked out were for the benefit of those at the school, but he did get stuff for his room including a bed, for some reason, that was going to be delivered to the mansion tomorrow. My room had a bed in it when I got there, I had to assume his did too, but he wouldn’t answer me when I questioned him about it. Now we were sitting in a little diner and I was picking at the meal in front of me.

“Logan says you haven’t been eating,” Creed said as he watched me.

“I eat…” I mumbled before taking a bite of the pot roast he’d urged me to get. “I just don’t really like the cafeteria sometimes. The food is fine… just all the people.”

“Being at the school bothering you that much?” Creed asked as he continued to work through the steak he ordered.

“I miss being able to leave school…” I said as I avoided looking up at him, “At least you’ll be there now; Logan said it might help… but I’ve just never been a people person. Now I’m surrounded twenty-four/seven, and can’t just be by myself. I can’t even make friends because I’ve been so on edge. I haven’t had a moment to get over anything because everyone is just always right there in my face and in my mind and I feel meddled with.” Finally looking up at him a little desperately I told him, “I feel heavy, my chest is always tight, and I got this knot in my stomach…”

He lips turned down in thought and his eyes were watching me closely, then after a second he sighed. He looked back down at his plate after that and said gruffly, “Eat a little more kid and then I’ll see about getting you a couple hours to yourself.”

“You just got here though,” I said my eyes widening. I almost wanted to crawl across the table and grab him, telling him that I wanted him to stay, that he could stay.

“I’ll stay close by in case you need me,” Creed said, a ghost of a smile touching his lips for a moment before he paused for a moment. A little more serious he told me, tomorrow we’re going to need to talk about what happened back in Vegas.”

OOO

AUTHORS NOTES:

So I totes spaced out and almost forgot to post today! I feel like after this chapter things really start to get better. But on that note I'm also gonna be running out of chapters soonish! Doesn't mean I'll be done just mean it might not be every week like clockwork, but I'll let you know when I run out of chapters.


	9. Victor

"Jimmy, what the fuck did this place do to my pup?" I asked as I glared at him while we sat in the in the control room for their "Danger Room" so we could keep an eye on Nina. It was just a forest at the moment, and there was no actual danger to speak of. Xavier let us borrow it for the purpose of giving Nina some space, even if it was fake space. She had a bag with her, some water, a snack, a book, and some writing materials. I was hoping she'd stay in there for a couple hours and calm down. Jimmy had explained to her what the room was, and that if she needed someone all she had to do was yell and that I'd go sit with her or we'd shut down the program and go get her. We didn't tell her that we'd be able to see her; we hoped she'd assume with the trees in the way of the observation window that we wouldn't be able to see her. I suspected if she needed to cry, like some frails did, she wouldn't want to do it in front of us.

"I did my best Victor, she's not a complaining type of kid, except for the whole business with Cyke, I would've gotten her space if I'd known she needed it," Jimmy sighed as we watched her on the screen. She'd found a place to settle down and she was currently in the middle of reading. "She spent most of her time with me, and when she wasn't with me I assumed she was alone or with Rogue. She really isn't a social animal; I didn't think everyone was trying to interfere with her."

"She feels surrounded," I muttered as I played with the camera flicking it around to different angles. "She said something about people being in her head."

"Right, I was going to let her get into that with you because she didn't even really tell me, but Jean says she can feel it when people are rooting around in her brain," Jimmy said looking over at me for a moment before looking back at the screen, "If a telepath stays in there too long it'll start to hurt, and since no one knew in the beginning Jean and Chuck were checking in on her without directly confronting her since she didn't seem to like them much. Hank suggested that it happening so often in a short amount of time also started to get to her. They promised that they'd stop doing it, and Nina says that she hasn't been feeling it…" Jimmy paused and when I looked at him he waved his hand saying, "Quire was dicking around in her brain too, but after I explained exactly what you'd do to him he cut it out too."

"Quire… I've heard of him," I said as I stopped on a profile view of Nina and leaned back scenting the air, one of the frails had been walking by a couple times now, "Pink haired little shit, actually tried to destroy your precious little school?"

"Is there some kind of newsletter y'all bad guys get?" Rogue asked after the door opened.

"Word just gets around little frail," I said looking back at her. Actually I was pretty sure I heard it from Magneto he'd had a job for me a couple months back, offered me a position in the brotherhood. I hadn't liked the politics and turned him down on the position and merely took the job.

"Kid what are you doin'?" Jimmy asked as he turned to look at her too.

"Ah heard Nina wasn't doing so well, and well Logan ah've seen you not do so well," She said as she came closer to look at the screen. Seeing Nina just sitting there seemed to ease her, her scent even calmed.

"She was just starting to feel cagey," Jimmy explained as I looked back at the screen. "We're hopefully heading it off before I have to drop them in the middle of a forest somewhere."

"You just want to leave me in a forest somewhere," I snorted as I found Nina moving around a little; actually she was putting her stuff back in her bag. She'd only been in there for a half hour, and I hoped she wasn't calling it quits. She just started wandering off a little though, and Jimmy leaned forward typing in a command, not to mention ignoring my comment, getting the cameras to follow after her. Nina came to a clearing after a couple moments and she dropped her backpack before looking at one of the trees. For a second I thought she was going to try and climb it, but instead she sat under it. She didn't open her bag though to get anything out and I frowned.

"Is she bored?" Rogue asked bluntly as she leaned over Jimmy's shoulder to see the screen better.

"She's in there to relax, I'm not really concerned if she's bored," I shrugged as I clicked one of the buttons I was permitted to touch less I accidently send man eating creatures in there to get my young mate. The screen flickered to a different angle and then I zoomed in. "Well looks like we're watching Pup sleep," I sighed.

We all settled in, Rogue pulling up a chair, and I asked, "You think since she can feel her mind being probed she'll eventually be able to stop it?" I had a natural defense against most psychic attacks, and when they were strong enough I could feel them trying to get in there. Mind reading still happened from time to time, but there were things that Pup would eventually have to find a way to protect herself from.

"Maybe, it'd require a telepath to practice with," Jimmy said looking over at me, and I could tell he could see my displeasure on my face.

"Is tha' a problem?" Rogue asked as she too looked to me.

"Yes." I answered simply as I leveled her with a bland look.

"Dare I ask why?" Rogue asked a thin brow arched high.

"I don't even remotely like any of the telepaths running around this place, and the ones I know on the outside would probably fuck up her brain just to piss me off." I explained with an irritated wave of my hand. The only problem was that if she started practicing after she got to know me, I'd have to worry about people gleaming things about me that didn't need to be known. Without looking at her I tried to decide if I could get Rogue to absorb some psychic's powers to practice with the girl, but dismissed it as it would make the telepath she borrowed from wonder why they couldn't do it themselves.

"She might need to learn anyway Creed," Jimmy sighed. "You're not the most well liked man."

He was right…

"I'll see," I said looking back at the screen. Speaking of me not being well liked…

"Either of you know what's up One-eye's ass about my pup?" I asked looking over at both of them.

Rogue shrugged and shook her head, but Jimmy seemed to be thinking on it. I waited it out. Finally Jimmy said, "I figure you're his real problem. The fact that Nina thinks you're the best thing since air, and can do no wrong, just doesn't help."

"The book ta the face probably didn't help none either," Rogue chuckled as she watched the two of us.

ooo

"Mr. Creed can I come out now?!" Nina called out her voice an electronic hum. She'd so far read a good bit of her book, written things I wanted to know about, and taken a nap or two. It'd been about four hours and we were actually getting around to the time we were told we'd have to call it quits so there could be some kind of training session. Something for the staff.

Looking up from the instruction manual I'd pulled from the desk I eyed the screen a bit. She seemed okay, I'd know more once I could smell her again, but I was also starting to want her back anyway. Rogue had cut out about halfway through the pups nap, but looking to Jimmy I noticed him sleeping in front of the console his feet up on the edge of the counter containing those buttons that could in fact send machines in there to maim her. Well not likely maim her, but apparently there needed to be a chapter on emergency shut downs, and the exact location of the first aid kit written in the rather large manual I had in my lap. There was also, according to the table of contents, a couple of pages on CPR and general first aid. Knocking his feet down, and instantly gaining his attention, I told him, "Wake up and shut it down, she wants to come out."

"Bout time," Jimmy huffed as I stashed the manual back where I got it and headed for the stairs that led into the room. All we'd been able to see from the actual observation window had been treetops but as I opened the door and the stairs slid out from the wall the trees all flickered away revealing nothing but an empty metal room, and Nina.

She scampered right over to me, and practically crawled into my arms in her haste for some affection. She smelt amazing. She nuzzled my neck, just under my chin, trying to pull her herself closer to me. Growling contently I kissed the top of her head, and pulled her up a little higher to hold her to me better. Nina had a way of bringing affection out of me it seemed, but at least I knew as long as I had a hold of her no one else could get her from me. I could feel her tail swishing back and forth happily and I heard the doors opening to reveal Jimmy… and Red.

Nina's ears flattened and she clung to me tighter, which concerned (then immediately irritated) me. I nuzzled the top of her head before I walked over to the two. Red was looking at me disapprovingly, but I just bared my fangs at her asking, "You gotta problem Red?"

"No," She said tensely smelling like a lie, "Is Nina alright?"

"She's fine," I insisted completely content to hold onto her. "Now if you'll move aside, I'm gonna go get her something to eat."

"Are you going to carry her through the school?" Red asked, and I noticed Jimmy looked rather pained by the question. Like he already knew this wasn't ever going to end well.

"Just to piss you off," I grinned before I looked to Jimmy who just shook his head and moved out of my way himself. It was good to have someone who got me. I knew Jimmy wasn't pleased about all this, but it was something he was accepting. It helped that he liked Pup too, and most importantly he understood what was going on.

ooo

Nina was sitting in the computer chair in front of the desk in my room when I walked out of the bathroom later that night. Her head was in her hands, and with good reason. She'd snuck in here while I was in the shower, though I'd left her safe and sound in her room. I had put a towel around my waist just for her, but I had thought about walking out naked just to teach her a lesson about sneaking around me. She was lucky she was so young. Walking over to her I eyed her a little before saying, "Can I ask what you think you're doing Pup?"

She jolted, but she determinedly managed not to look up at me. "I want to sle-stay with you."

Quirking a brow I reached down and managed to capture her chin, getting her to look at me. She looked a little nervous, and she was blushing prettily, her scent gave away how nervous she really was. She was verging on fear. Leaning in I put my forehead to hers saying, "You're too young to be afraid I'd misunderstand you, of course you can sleep in here with me Pup."

OOO

AUTHORS NOTES:

Not much I can think to say about this one...

So maybe tell me what you think.

I think soon after this in one of the new chapters I'm writing I'm gonna do a time skip.


	10. Nina

_"…of course you can sleep in here with me Pup."_

I smiled at that, and couldn't help the happy hum that left me, or that my tail swished back and forth. I'd been afraid that he'd say no and send me back down to my room, I'd been more afraid of that then him thinking I wanted to sleep with him. When he pulled away I couldn't help but look him over. I was after all thirteen, not five. His blonde hair was still wet as it hung down around his face and shoulders. I'd noticed before but he was well muscled, and… kind of furry. Well not literally furry he just had a lot of body hair. Including a… I closed my eyes abruptly as I realized I was being caught staring, my hands going over my face.

He had a happy trail…

I shouldn't be thinking of things like this. He _looked_ like he was more than twice my age and I really didn't want to get into how much older than me he really was.

"Why'd you have to be so young?" He sighed as he came back over and picked me up.

Slightly panicked I tried to clamber up higher on him, worried that he wasn't wearing pants, and I was only in some skimpy pajama shorts and a tanktop. He after all wasn't wearing a shirt. "Whoa, whoa," He huffed as he dropped me on the bed. He was wearing boxers… I sighed in relief, even though I was still incredibly embarrassed. It didn't help that he chuckled as he rubbed my gimp ear, asking, "Scared I was naked Pup?"

I nodded a bit, hoping it'd get him to let go of my ear… I still couldn't understand why that felt so good… but he didn't let go until I started swatting at his hand insisting, "Stoop that! That's embarrassing!"

"Embarrassing?" He asked as he let go of my ear and lean down to look at me thoughtfully.

I mumbled, and looked down at my lap. I didn't want to explain that!

Still he picked me up and nuzzled my cheek asking, "Do you mean it feels good?"

Trying to avoid his question I asked, feigning curiosity, "Why are you and Logan the only ones up here?" Actually I was curious. The main part of this floor looked like a large rec-room. There were couches, a very large if not slightly old TV, and two pool tables, one admittedly nicer than the other. There were a few rooms up here, but Logan said they were all empty except his. Well now Mr. Creed was up here, but it still seemed odd that they were alone while the other staff members were all on the floor below them.

"I'm up here because I'm a big, bad, man who eats little things like you for dinner. Jimmy's up here because he's loud and like's his space," Creed explained as he sat down with me closer to the head of the bed. "Now, why wouldn't you want me to rub your ears when it feels good?"

"Because," I whined before scampering under his arm and onto the bed. I had intended to finish when I wasn't in his lap, but I yelped as he turned suddenly and grabbed for me. I jolted and he just missed my leg. Only this seemed to spark something, his eyes nearly flashed as I darted off the bed, and he lunged after me like a cat would go after a mouse, but this time I wasn't fast enough to get away. His hand grabbed my arm before he pulled me back onto the bed and up against him. It happened so fast that my feet came out from under me and the impact of me hitting his body actually hurt a little.

I was distracted when he chuckled though, and the kiss he pressed to my temple made me forget the pain. After a second he hummed out a lazy demand, "That was fun, now answer my question."

I bit my lip and leaned my head back to look up at him, before mumbling, "It makes… me feel… weird…" It made me feel warm, and it made my stomach feel tight, and I didn't want to explain what it felt like.

He smirked a bit and kissed my other temple. " _Weird_ ," He mumbled back, before turning me around, saying, "Alright, I'll lay off a bit, for now."

"For now?" I squeaked, much to my horror as he held us front to front. He was so big…

"You're not always going to be so little," Creed insisted as he leaned down and kissed my forehead, "And I suspect that when you're not so little you'll want me to make ya feel good like that." I swallowed nervously, only for him to let out an exacerbated sigh and move us down onto the bed so we were lying down. "Such an embarrassed little thing. How'd you get so innocent?"

We were laying on our sides and one of his legs slid between mine, and I couldn't help but squirm. "I don't know… no one ever really talked about this stuff at length," I muttered as I hid my face against his chest. "It was all just mechanics, and me trying not to listen to my friends who were doing things they shouldn't. We just got into high school…"

"High school," Creed breathed as he seemed to just lay there with me. "Frail when's your birthday?"

"Inna couple weeks, March second," I said looking up at him to find him looking down at me a bit. "Why?" Somehow I doubted he wanted to get me a present. He really didn't seem like the sentimental kind.

"Your age is gonna matter for a while," He huffed as he moved us around so our faces where right in front of each other's, his leg remained between mine though. "You feeling better now that you've gotten some time alone?"

I frowned a little, before shrugging as best I could on my side. "Yeah, a bit… do we really gotta stay here?"

He closed his eyes a frown pulling at his lips too. When he opened his eyes I knew the answer, still he told me, "Yeah Pup, you need to stay here." I didn't like it, I especially didn't like that he specified that I had to stay here. I wriggled closer to him moving so I could press my face right where his collarbones met.

He smelled really good…

I wanted to ask him why I liked his scent so much, but I was too embarrassed. One of my hands moved up to wrap around him, and I could feel his hold on me tighten a little. "Mr. Creed… why are we like this?" I asked as my hand traced the muscles in his side. I felt really close to him, but I couldn't help but feel like this wasn't normal. I shouldn't feel like this with someone I'd just met. There was some kind of talk of mates, but I didn't really know what that was, I could only guess.

"We just are Pup," Creed told me his face pressing to my hair between my ears. "Now go to sleep."

ooo

I whimpered a little as I slowly woke up, only to find the reason I was probably awake…

There was about two hundred pounds of feral muscle lying on me!

Frowning I tried to wiggle out from under him, but this didn't prove to be the smartest move I've ever made. There was a low growling, before teeth came down on the back of my neck. It wasn't very hard, and my hair seemed to be in the way, but the meaning was very clear. I whined a little, but forced myself to settle back under him. After a moment he nuzzled me before laying back down his head, moving it to rest against my shoulder blade. He seemed to have parted my legs at some point because he was settled right between them. I wasn't sure what to do; he didn't seem to be awake. I moved my ears around trying to listen for something, but only found that his breathing was still slow and steady.

At least it was Sunday, I didn't have class…

It was just… He was sort of heavy.

I didn't much mind, I had a feeling a was a little more durable then I use to be, but it was embarrassing how he was pressed up against me…

He was warm…

His scent was all around me, and it was admittedly making my already sleep fuzzy head fuzzier. Had there been a reason I wanted him to get off? It suddenly wasn't so embarrassing anymore, but I still shifted my hips a little, trying to relieve myself of that _weird_ feeling it gave me to know where his… hips were. This however earned me another growl, this one sounded differently though and he pressed closer making me gasp. I was thirteen and curiosity, as well as friends using words like amazing, had already encouraged me touch myself, though I'd never admit it ever, and this definitely felt a bit like that.

At least it gave me the same pleasing ache, though in my explorations it always just ended up frustrating.

Mr. Creed moved his arms around my torso even as he laid on me, and I knew I should wake him because he was sort of starting to rub up against me. I didn't want anyone to get in trouble, and by the way Ms. Grey had been acting I sort of assumed she suspected things like this would happen. Though I got the feeling she thought that Mr. Creed would be awake during this. It felt really good though. Biting my lip for a moment, to stop myself from making any noises, I breathed my voice not as steady as I would like it, "Mi-ster Creed, I… I think you should wake up now."

There was a low noise that sounded displeased, and I really hoped he was dreaming. He moved a little more and something hard pressed against me _there_ making me yelp a little in panic. The words _not_ ready flashed in my mind like bright red neon and I struggled a little, squeaking so as to not yell, "Please wake up!"

There was a second that felt like an hour before Creed stilled. His hold on me tightened a little before he let me go and moved back onto his knees. It gave me the opportunity to scurry further forward and turn around to look at him. There was obvious tenting in his boxers and he was breathing heavily as he looked at me, his eyes darker. After a minute, he pushed his wild blonde hair from his face and moved off the bed. When I went to get up too, though, he pointed at me growling, "No, stay right there. We're talking about this when I'm done."

My eyes widened in shock as he walked into the bathroom shutting the door behind him.

Was he?

He was?!

I couldn't have done that to him…

He had to have been having a dream about someone older. Better looking. Maybe that girl from the clothing store who'd been wearing that corset…

My ears drooped at the mere thought, but I reluctantly stayed where he wanted me to. I knew I was blushing when I could hear a few grunts from the other side of the door. My ears couldn't help but twitch towards the sound, and somehow it made that spot between my legs ache more. It actually hurt in a way… I just squeezed my thighs together, and looked away from the door.

A couple of what felt like of hours later, though I'm sure it was just minutes, I heard the sink turn on, then off, before he walked out of the bathroom. His skin was all flush, and I couldn't look at him for more than a couple of seconds at a time. He moved onto the bed and sat down in front of me asking, "Did I hurt you?" He didn't really sound concerned, more like he was fact finding.

"No," I said shaking my head; I didn't want him to think that!

"Good," He mumbled running his fingers through his hair. "Do I need to explain what happened?"

"N-no I'm pretty sure I know what happened," I said my eyes finding my hands as they fisted in the sheet under me, my tail wrapping around so it was against my leg. When he didn't say anything I figured one of us was going to have to explain, and so I told him, "You uh, were laying on me… and when I squirmed around trying to get away you started… uhm dreaming?"

"Pretty much," he said as he reached out and coaxed me forward. Letting go of the sheet I moved forward towards him, and he shuffled me onto his lap once I was close enough. After I was settled he asked, "You going to use your own room now?"

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked as I frantically moved around so I could face him. "I'm sorry I didn't mean ta ruin your dream."

"Ruin my… fuck kid, I almost raped you, and yer apologizing ta me?" He looked extremely confused, and more than a little frustrated, but I still couldn't help but feel like I'd done something wrong. He grabbed my face making me look right at him as he said, "I was havin' a dirty dream about you, and I was actin' on it without realizing it, you can't possibly want to sleep in here." He sorta looked angry at himself…

"Me?" I asked, my eyes wide.

"Yeah you," He said flicking my forehead, instinctively getting my hand to fly up and cover the spot.

"But I'm…" I motioned down at me after taking my hand from my forehead. I was just a kid.

"So this does need to be said…" He sighed as he wrapped his arms back around me, "You're my mate. I want you. I know better than to have you right now, but I want you something fierce little frail. I can't say I won't fuck others to get my mind off it, or to pass the time, won't say I'll be any nicer ta ya when I don't feel like it, or that I won't mark you up a bit, but you are mine." I tried to say something, to sort it out, but I didn't know what to say, especially when he buried his face against my neck, "All fucking mine."

"Mark… me up…?" I asked, made just that much more nervous by this being said out loud, about it being confirmed. It was the thing my mind latched onto the firmest.

He ran his claws lightly down my arm, and I couldn't help but feel he was making a point, saying, "Nothing you won't heal from Pup." He moved his face from my neck kissing the side of my mouth. "I'm not a nice man Baby, but we belong to each other, yeah?"

I knew he wasn't a nice man.

I'd known all this time, and I hadn't cared.

Did I really care now?

"Yeah, we belong to each other," I breathed before leaning in to nuzzle his jaw.

OOO

AUTHORS NOTES:

This and the next chapter are really sort of important, but these are also the last two pre-written chapters I have.

I've also been writing a different fanfiction with Sabretooth, and a character that can be very closely compared to Nina, but at the same time is different. I think I might post it up, but we'll see. Maybe if someone here is interested I'll put it up just for funzies.


	11. Victor

When I had realized exactly what I'd been about to do to her I had to restrain myself. The anger that bubbled up inside me threatened to make me roar, but that would probably just make the kid think I was angry at her instead of myself. She was so warm and small under me, and I'd almost done that without even meaning to. Sure I'd raped women before, I'd raped some girls only a little older than her too I was sure, but she was my cub, my Pup. She deserved a better first time. Some of her arousal touched the air, but I knew that was just a physical thing; I could smell her fear and panic more than anything. It'd taken everything I had, but I got off her. Just when she tried to move from the bed too I almost lunged at her… I was too hard to play games with her right now.

Once everything was said and done though, and I explained what had really been happening to her, she still wanted to stay. Fuck that threatened to make me hard again when she nuzzled my jaw telling me we belonged to each other. I let her for a moment, taking the affection before I had to explain some rules. If we were going to be sharing a bed there was going to have to be some rules. Then I had to get her to talk about killing that guy…

I leaned in kissing her forehead to get her to stop nuzzling me, before I grumbled, "If you're going to sleep here there's going to be some rules."

"Okay," She breathed looking up at me. I pressed my fingers through her hair as I looked back at her. I never had anyone who looked at me like I was their whole world. It didn't bother me like I thought it would. It was actually something to have a person that was all mine and actually agreed with the fact.

"First if I ever start doing that again, wake me up faster, I don't care if you try to hurt me, I promise I won't do anything to you for it," I told her as I settled my hands on her hips. She nodded even though she looked unsure of it. I squeezed her hips a bit saying, "I don't want to do that to you while I'm asleep. Tell me you'll do as I said Pup."

"I will," Nina said, nodding again, she seemed a little more sure this time, but I still doubted she'd do more than yell at me.

Sighing I ran my hands up and down her sides a bit. "You don't get out of bed without permission," I told her, looking down at her to make sure she knew I was serious. This wasn't a game, and I wouldn't have her thinking otherwise. I would not wake up to find her just suddenly gone, she would not enjoy me tearing apart the school in whatever state of dress I was in to find her, and so we'd both benefit from this rule. I didn't want the X-Men knowing just how attached I was to her either.

"What about class?" She asked as she fidgeted a little.

I sighed, right schooling. "We'll set an alarm, I'll let you leave." She nodded after that, and I was satisfied that she'd do as she was told, or she'd learn real quick if she forgot or didn't listen. The school thing wouldn't be too much of I problem I guessed. I was probably going to be saddled with some kind of job, which would probably start around the same time as everyone else's which started when the school did. If I kept her from going to class on time, I'd be late too and I'd just take her down to the class. Who was really going to scold me?

"You always going to lay on me?" Nina asked looking up at me, blushing now.

"If I feel like it," I chuckled as I leaned in and nudged her face with mine affectionately. It was after that I could almost feel her pause.

Then she asked something I had to think about, "Mr. Summers, and Ms. Grey, aren't gonna like it if I sleep up here huh?" They weren't. In fact Jimmy probably wouldn't even be pleased about it. No one would. I mulled it over. If I wasn't making the kid come up here, it should work out. I just couldn't sleep in her room; she'd have to come up here all by herself…

It wouldn't be that difficult.

"You don't have to sleep up here with me," I said, even if at times this might be a lie. Still there would actually be times when it was best she didn't, she was after all old enough to go into heat, "I won't make you sleep up here, but as long as you want to… well they didn't give a shit when you went to Jimmy in the middle of the night did they?"

"Nope," she said, popping the p a little. "Though I only really slept in his room once, usually we watched TV on the couch till I fell asleep. Sometimes I'd wake up in my room, but usually we were just still on the couch."

Heat…

If she went into actual animal, scent giving off, teasing the fuck out of me heat…

I was damn well smart enough to put on a condom these days; I could not always say I was smart enough to just keep it in my pants. For now she was a fucking tiny kid, there was a possibility I could keep my dick in check, it wasn't likely after this morning but we'd see. After all, it might not happen except every couple of years, or at worse once every year. I heard feral females could be like that. If that was the case the second it happened I'd just leave for a bit, couldn't last more than a couple days… right? Still just in case I added on, "If I tell you that you gotta sleep in your own room though, you gotta sleep in your room, Pup."

"Kay," She seemed a little put out, but I was sure there'd be times she didn't want to sleep up here anyway.

Now for the part that wouldn't be so easy.

Until some fucker was knocking on my door!

"Creed! The fuck did you buy a bed for?!" Jimmy yelled from the other side of the door. "And Nina damn well better be okay in there!"

Sighing I lifted the kid from my lap, setting her down on the ground next to the bed before getting up myself. I moved towards the door even as she questioned, "Why did you buy a bed?" I had half a mind to tell her that it was for the extracurricular activities we'd be doing down the line, but Jimmy was just outside.

Opening the door, I answered both of them, "I bought a bed because other people have been on this mattress and it'd take years to get their scent out of it." Then I added, "And of course the pup is fine, didn't come all the way across the country to tear her apart. Nope runt, only do that for you."

"Why didn't you just buy a new fucking mattress?" Jimmy asked as I walked back further into the room to actually put on clothes.

"Wanted something sturdier." I shrugged. Jeans, shirt, done. "Might not stop your claws, but I'd rather no one else destroyed it in some fit of rage either." Of course I'd have started it, but wood always seemed to turn into a stake, like I was some kind of vampire, and splinters were a bitch when my healing factor was pushing them out. That was another reason I bought a metal frame, but I didn't need to give the kid nightmares or the runt ideas though.

"You know we gotta carry that fucker up three flights right?" Jimmy continued to question me as I stopped to eye Nina who seemed rather amused by all of this.

"I'm aware," I said distractedly, before I asked as I gripped her chin to get her to look up at me, " What are you smirking about Pup?"

Her grin widened, her ears were even up, her tail wagging, "You two are like brothers," She giggled a little as both mine and Jimmy's face went shocked, "Bickering, and fighting, but you two obviously like each other. Logan wouldn't help anyone else carry a bed up stairs just 'cause they didn't like the one they were given for free."

"What did you do to her?" Jimmy asked looking at me like I'd brainwashed her or something.

"I didn't do shit," I said as I let go of her chin and rubbed her ear affectionately. She was right, of course she didn't know it, but she was at least half right. After that I told her, "Go get dressed, this is gonna take a minute." I was gonna have to talk to her later about her killing that guy. It obviously tied into the mate thing, so it was going to be a long ass chat about things that were gonna make her cry, or blush, or both.

…Might as well do it on the new bed.

"We'll get the bed and everything up here, then we'll move the old one into a different room for now," Jimmy said as he watched Nina scamper off to do as she was told. Once she was out of sight Jimmy mentioned, "She looks better."

"She does, I'm just glad she didn't run off before I got here," I said as we both started to head downstairs.

ooo

"Fucking hell Runt! You ram me into the wall one more time and I'm going to put you through it!" I shouted at him as we carried the box containing the pieces for the bedframe. There were little X-kiddies watching from what they thought were safe distances while me and Jimmy tried to get the overly large bed up the stairs without killing each other. One-eye, and Storm were also watching, though I'm sure they were there in case me and Jimmy started really trying to kill each other.

"Then actually help carry this fucker!" Jimmy yelled back at me. It was true I wasn't holding on as much as I should but he started it by ramming me into the banister.

"What it too heavy for ya?" I taunted only to find myself being jerked off to the side and into a door way. "What did I tell you?!"

I was about to drop it and tear his head off, agreement or not to put up with the good guys, but Nina popped up next to us. She was wearing those pants I bought her yesterday; they were tight and hugged her in a way that gave her hips, and a tank top… Kid had some curves, they were little curves but they were there. It took me a second to realize she was talkin' to me, "What was that Pup?"

She huffed a little, but she repeated herself, her hands landing on those little hips, "Ms. Ororo says that if you two start trading blows she's going to make it rain in the attic for a week." I went to sneer at her but Nina insisted, "I think she might actually be able to do it Mr. Creed, she's been hailed as a goddess before, and if it rains in your room I'm not visiting you."

I sighed before shoving my head towards Jimmy saying, "Talk to the runt then."

"Logan please!" She whined as she turned to him.

Jimmy tried to stare dully at her, but when she started to wiggle around a little, playfully pleading with him her hands clapped together, he gave in growling, "Fine I'll stop busting him into the walls if he actually does his share!"

She looked back at me her tail wagging a bit before I sured up my grip on the box. After that I was rewarded with a happy little noise as she scampered up the stairs passed me. "She's going to kill us one day," I growled as we started moving again, a little more cohesively.

"Fuck that, she's going to rule the world," Jimmy sneered as we got up the stairs, "Probably amass an entire army of men who'll be wrapped around her little fingers."

Once we were walking down the hall towards the next staircase I caught sight of Nina as Jimmy started walking backwards after I angled us out of the stair case. She was watching us from the end of the hall as she talked with Hank who was standing in his doorway. "She's fucking demon," I said affectionately.

"She's a teenaged girl, and if I've learned anything that's an accurate description," Jimmy laughed even as Nina glared at us, obviously able to hear exactly what we were saying.

ooo

"Mr. Creed I can't breathe," Nina gasped as I held her to me in an attempt to calm down; we were on the ground next to the newly built bedframe with her in my lap. I growled a little but adjusted my hold on her to make sure air was getting to her lungs and I didn't break any of her ribs. "Ms. Grey why can't you just go away?!" She growled as she leaned up and nuzzled under my chin.

"Because he needs to let go of you Nina," Red insisted from just outside of the room. "I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine!" Nina growled against my neck. I took her scent in a little more, ignoring Red, and Jimmy who was lingering inside my room. "Logan, tell her I'm fine."

"Nina, you don't understand the things he's done!" Red was getting loud and screechy as she cut off Jimmy.

He still commented calmly, "I told her you were fine already. I told her that you were the safest person in the school. I've explained all of this." I glanced up to find Jimmy inspecting his metal claws, them having popped when I had originally intended to go for the red haired frail. "I also told them that you two were going to be affectionate, that you were gonna crawl all over Creed, and he was gonna let ya and they didn't need to worry. Fuck I told 'em that even if they did need to worry, you'd sooner bite their helping hand than turn on him. I don't even fucking like it, but ain't shit I can do unless me and Creed have it out."

Nina made this sad, little heartbroken noise at that. She'd never seen me and Jimmy really fight, where it came to blood drawing blows. She'd heard of our fights, she'd heard I was a bad horrible man, and to a point she knew and understood, but she'd never seen any of it. No one could blame her for not wanting to see it. She didn't want to see her pack fight. Still this all gave me a second to calm down enough to let her go. She frowned a little but she crawled off my lap to sit sulkily next to me as I settled my gaze back on Red my claws itching, extending and going back as I tried to keep calm. I was really trying not to lunch at her and take her pretty little throat out.

"There I let 'er go," I grunted as I rearranged my legs bending them at the knee and resting my arms over them. I was not in the mood to be bossed around by this frail.

"I see that," Red said looking at Nina. Nina's ears were down, and she pressed into my side, but then she looked at me, and I could tell. The frail was prancing around in my skull, she had that look of concentration to get around my walls, though it was almost covered by her irritation for me. "You seeing something you like frail?" I snapped at her.

She jolted before shaking her head and walking away.

"See you both," Jimmy said before walking out, shutting the door behind him.

Once Jimmy was gone Nina moved around pushing her way under my arm so I'd hold her. I'd been trying to think of the best way to do this, and blunt seemed best. "Now that they're done…"

Only she didn't let me, she pulled away suddenly and walked over to the boxspring and the mattress saying, "Let's finish with the bed. I mean you even bought sheets and everything."

"Nina, come over here," I growled holding my arms out for her. She hesitated, but she walked back over, reaching out one of her hands. Using it I coaxed her down into my arms, against my chest. "Now, how you feeling about killin' that man?"

"Professor X says it wasn't my fault, that I was doing it to protect myself… Like it makes the guy any less dead," Nina huffed as she sat between my legs looking a little upset. She looked slightly disgusted, though I wasn't sure with what or who. "I didn't kill him to protect myself."

"Mmh then why?" I asked, though I was sure I already knew.

"He kicked you." She breathed as she leaned into me more. "I… I don't know what happened. I just… snapped. I don't really remember what I was doin'."

"You regret it?" I asked moving some of her hair out of her face.

"He kicked you," Nina stressed as she looked up at me like I didn't understand. "I thought you were dead, and he kicked you, he kicked the person who was gonna save me!" Nina calmed down, she looked a little ashamed. "If… If I'd known you'd heal… I just would'a protected you until you could move… which sounds silly…"

Oh I understood everything.

"Considering you're such a runt, yes, but having a mate can sometimes cause ferals to do stupid things," I sighed as I combed my claws through her hair a bit. It made ferals do idiotic things like joining the X-Men or give up my regular job.

OOO

AUTHORS NOTES:

So here we go! This is the last prewritten chapter!

Which isn't exactly a good thing, but I'm gonna keep working on it of course. The next chapter is going to be after a bit of time has happened so everything is more settled, it's also going to be another Victor chapter. So updates are going to be a little more erratic.


	12. Victor

**_One year and some months later:_ **

"Mr. Creed!" Nina chirped as she tackled me around the middle. I grinned down at her as she made it up to me before the other students. She was honestly the only one that was excited about this class, and it was probably only really because this meant she got to see me during the day now. It was my first class, and according to my pup half of the class thought they were being sacrificed so Jimmy could kill me legitimately, while the other half thought they were gonna die, but not particularly on purpose. Pup had assured me that the latter was in the same way they all thought Jimmy's classes would kill them.

After all it was a class I'd only been given because of a year of lobbying, running security for the place, and a poorly made bet by Scooter. It wasn't even a real class, it was a test run until the end of school. Extra credit it'd been said.

Apparently _Cyclopes_ thought that Nina was just a cute mutant to be looked at, so after she bested both Jubilee and Shadowcat at the same time down in a danger room simulation, proving she could be a tricky little frail, and right up there with her classmates, I was given a tactics class that would put Jimmy's combat lessons to some practical use, at times. Jimmy was supervising for the rest of the year or until the rest of them were sure I wasn't going to maul anyone, despite only minimal fighting with the staff, most of which was with Jimmy anyway. In any case I was to teach them strategy, tracking and hunting, and stealth.

All of the students presented to me were in their uniforms, their leathers, as was Jimmy though he had his mask down off his head.

Nina pulled away from me at that and I was once more stuck between appreciating her uniform and telling her to get out of it immediately.

I hadn't approved of Nina learning to be an X-Man but I did approve of her learning these skills, and well the leathers she got were hot. She got dark brown, tight, leather pants that were low enough not to interfere with her tail, and a long sleeved leather shirt that left her stomach uncovered. She'd refused blue and yellow, the standard X-Men uniform that most of the other students were wearing in various fashions, most of which were in the form of cat suits, and she hadn't wanted one that matched mine. Her exact words about my leathers, apart from her apparent dislike of yellow, were, _"Aren't you furry enough?!"_ I had the feeling it was because the first time she saw me in it she got flustered from being able to see so much of me while I was so covered.

Then there was the part of her uniform that really bothered me. There was a black circled X on her chest much to my chagrin, but there was nothing to be done.

I'd told her when she was younger that mates did stupid things for each other. This was my stupid thing.

She was just happy to be in my class, and for right now I was going to have to pretend she wasn't my mate in a skintight outfit… scampering about with her budding curves…

"Alright anklebiters," I started as I looked them over, sending Nina back over to the group where she saddled up to Jimmy who looked bored out of his mind. "We're going to play a game today." However before he could tell them which game a hand shot in the air, it was the small brunette that blew it in the danger room. Shadowcat. "What is it?"

"Are we all gonna live, cause I'd feel really bad if you got this class because Nina tricked me into getting her across the finish line before me, and then went and killed one of us," Kitty explained as she fidgeted.

I sighed rubbing my neck saying, "Yes, you'll all live." When I noticed another hand start to rise I amended, "Unless you keep askin' me stupid questions." The hand instantly dropped down to the kid's side.

"Now we're going to split up into teams and play "capture the flag". You'll have until five minutes before the end of the class period to try and get the other team's flag, and in the event of the loss of your flag, retrieving it back." I explained as I looked them all over trying to pick two of them to be the team leaders. It was made slightly easier as I only cared to learn so many names, and picking Nina would probably be seen as some kind of favoritism. "Uh.. you Iceboy, you're leader of the alpha team."

"Iceman," Bobby corrected through a mumble as me moved up to where I pointed.

"Right, right," I waved him off before pointing to Jimmy's newest ward, "Hisako, you're the Beta team leader," I said pointing to my other side where she moved to fast enough without bitching about something. With that in mind I told the girl, "You go first."

"Nina," Hisako said smiling as Nina bounded forward to stand next to her. The two girls had actually become friends, and I found she was quickly becoming more and more tolerable by the second.

"No fair I wanted her…" Bobby huffed under his breath.

Others were not becoming as tolerable as quickly.

"Having Nina will not make me favor your team so quit bitching," I insisted glaring down at the boy, earning him a couple snickers from the peanut gallery.

"Fine… Kitty," Bobby said pointed to the girl who punched him in the shoulder when she walked over. Someone apparently didn't like to be the second pick even when they were still technically first.

And so it went.

In the end Hisako had Nina, Rockslide, Wing, Surge, and Magma. Bobby ended up with Kitty, Jubilee, Pyro, Pixie, Boom Boom, and Quire who I grudgingly let join whichever team he wanted since he was the odd player and would have been last to be picked.

"Now for the rules, since I was told structure was important," I said pulling out the two flags from my pocket, thankfully the two I suspected to be able to find the flags the easiest were indeed on separate teams. This would work out when the bitching and whining happened later about the rules. "As this is to prepare you for real life you're allowed to use your powers as long as you don't injure, maim, or drive anyone insane, I'm looking at you Quire." The pink haired boy shrugged, after the last year I took it as understanding. Between thinking up horrible ways for him to die to keep him out of my mind and threatening him out of Nina's we'd settled into some kind of acquaintanceship that wasn't altogether horrible.

"Second," I handed the flags over to the leaders saying, "The red portion of your flags must show at all times." One flag was black and red the other white and red. The red on each was half the flag on the pointed side.

"Third, you're not allowed to enter the school and interrupt classes," That was a rule Jimmy suggested earlier in the day, though I could care less.

"Forth, if at the end of class you do not have a flag, regardless of who it originally belonged to, you're running five miles Saturday morning," I said before noticing Nina bouncing lightly from foot to foot with a smug smile. I eyed her saying, "Nina you run ten if your team fails so pitifully." She stopped bouncing her mouth hanging open. Instantly I knew exactly what she was just restraining herself from saying and snapped, "It is too fair, you already run five miles on Saturday mornings, therefore no real incentive for you to do better."

"See! having her on your team wouldn't have made a difference," Kitty huffed at the iceboy. She was right; I'd been telling the truth. If anything I'd be harder on Nina's team. If Nina was going to do this, she was going to learn right.

"Any questions?" I snapped looking at them all pointedly as Jimmy finally stood from his spot on a planter nearby.

"Yeah! I don't think it's very fair that they have a telepath!" Surge said pointing at Quire.

"Nina can smell both flags perfectly, because Sabretooth there had them in his pocket all day, if it makes you feel better about your pathetic team," Quire said outing Nina whose ears went back at being caught.

"Give them a few minutes to strategize," Jimmy suggested as he moved next to me.

"Fine, five minutes," I allowed as I shrugged out of my jacket and dropped it with the kids' backpacks.

"Wait I have a question!" Nina said her hand shooting up. When I glared at her she insisted, "It's an actual question, not a statement about something being unfair."

"Yes Pup?" I asked less irritated at that.

"What if someone cheats? The part about the flag needing to be visible," Nina asked, which I had to hand to her was a fairly good question. I'd already thought of it, and Jimmy knew, but we'd decided to let them know only if they asked. Of course Nina would be the kid to ask.

I grinned insisting, "If me or Wolvie here catch you cheating we're stealing the flag; good luck getting it back from us."

"Question answered," Nina said quickly before hurrying our group over away from the others with Hisako.

I eyed both groups with Jimmy asking, "What do you think is gonna happen?"

"I think they'll all be up to run on Saturday," Jimmy shrugged as he pulled his mask on.

I watched each team plan thoughtfully, Nina obviously listening in on the other team while I assumed Quire was listening in on them. By the sound of it they were both trying to trip up the other teams strongest assets, which was hard to do when they were both spying on each other. As it was, neither team got to plan much before I yelled, "Get moving!"

Hisako's entire team darted off towards the school while the others ran into the forest.

"I'll follow Hisako's team," Jimmy said as he jogged after the group. Leaving me to shrug and head after Bobby's team.

I found them not far into the woods listening to Quire curse and bitch up a storm. "They're all thinking that they have it!"

"What?!" Pyro yelled grabbing onto his team member.

"They're all thinking very loudly and insistently that they have it, and they're all thinking of a different place to hide it or who they're trading it off to!" Quire yelled, swatting the boy off him as I crouched in a tree above them.

"That's not fair that puppy girl can still smell our flag!" Boom Boom screeched so loudly I pulled at one of my ears.

"I don't suggest insulting Nina while Sabretooth is directly above you," Quire said pointing up at me.

"What are you doing?" Bobby asked looking up at me suspiciously.

"I have to grade you based on something, Wolvie is watching the other team." I insisted as I watched them while I sat back against the trunk of the tree on the branch I'd picked. "So go on, carry on whatever back up plan you hopefully have, act as though I'm not here."

I watched them as they quickly figured out that they wouldn't be able to hide it and leave it because Nina would just go find it. That left someone keeping it on them, and after Quire glance up at me he reminded them to keep the red part visible. Snotty little cheater. I was gonna tackle the Pryde girl and everything. They all darted off in different directions while I stayed put, but I couldn't help but smile as I caught Nina's scent running back this way.

She burst into the clearing only to growl when none of them were there. I waved at her but didn't move as she quickly climbed up the tree to me. She crawled over me to sit in on the branch looking me over critically, before asking, "Do you have their flag?"

"Nope," I said simply. "Why?"

"It was one of my original plans, give you or Wolverine the flag, and put all of our effort into getting their flag," Nina said dropping down to the ground landing nicely on her feet. "They turned it down; because they're not sure we'll be able to get their flag. Quire seemed cocky enough to go for that plan." She put her nose to the air before she scampered off in the direction Pryde girl went with a curse.

I mused on her curse as I followed behind. I'd said the flag had to be visible, Pryde could wave it around in Nina's face for all anyone cared, but she'd be the only one able to touch it.

ooo

It was starting to look like Wolverine was going to be right.

Pryde evidently didn't think I'd be determined enough to dig down six feet to get their flag, but I was while she led Nina around in circles with my jacket. Pyro, while trying to scare the flag from Hisako actually destroyed it by burning it to a crisp. Quire had figured out with twenty minutes to spare that I had the last flag, unintentionally letting everyone in on the supposed to be secret.

I found myself faced with the entire class as Jimmy sat back at a picnic table watching. Of course I wasn't allowed to seriously harm them, but they'd all had combat training, and even Jimmy occasionally hurt a student teaching them something, not to mention the sizable damage they did to each other on a near weekly basis anyway. That was if any of them had the guts to come after me for the flag. Pyro had been ready to take me before his entire team turned on him and took his only source of fire. Even Nina looked a little uncertain about coming for me.

Her teammates looked to her though; they all knew she sparred with me. They all knew she held no fear of me.

She eyed her team for a moment as the other team tried to pick up the courage to come after me. "He's not just gonna go: _here Pup you have it_. He'll kick my ass," Nina explained even as Surge and Magma pushed her forward, "just like Professor Logan wouldn't just give it to Hisako." Of course she might not have been scared of me, but she wasn't an idiot.

"You have the best chance though!" Surge encouraged.

I ignored Quires suggestions to give him the flag, and threw up my walls on the boy. Then suddenly Bobby was trying to get my feet with his powers but he was too nervous to be accurate or strong and it was then that her team members finally pushed Nina into coming after me. Nina lunged for me as did Jubilee, but Jubilee was too scared to get right down to it and she only went for my arm. I dodged her but Nina landed a decent punch to my torso before trying to jump for it. She missed, and I batted both girls back, letting out a growl at them, Nina kept coming though, and I fended her off as I noticed Pryde trying to sneak closer. Using Nina as a prop, I shoved her into Pryde before jumping back from the groups.

"Is that all we got?" I asked grinning at them as the girls squabbled and got back to their feet. "Wolvie what have you been teaching them? Anything?"

"Apparently I haven't been teaching 'em enough," Jimmy said glaring at the lot of them.

ooo

Nina kept at me, while intervals of other kids tried for the flag until time ran down and Jimmy yelled, "Looks like everyone will be up at six a.m. to start their run!"

At this I dropped the flag and grabbed up Nina before she could get away from me. I let her stay on her feet, but she still didn't look overly pleased at me as she panted lightly. That was fine; I wasn't overly pleased with her. After that I told them, "And that's it for class, Wednesday we'll work on stealth."

The other kids quickly scampered off though they were all complaining about having to run. Some were blaming Pyro for destroying one of the flags. Jimmy eyed me for a moment, and I just grinned at him before he turned and followed lazily after the students. Once they were mostly gone I growled down at Nina who'd started to try and get away from me.

"Do you want to tell me what went wrong Baby?" I asked as I leaned down to nuzzle my face against hers.

"Pryde cheated?" Nina asked more than said as she stopped struggling for a second.

"Not what I meant," I purred at her as I nuzzled her gimp ear. She squirmed under the attentions and I knew she was nervously looking around to make sure no one was looking, but I nipped at her other ear when she apparently forgot to answer me.

"I couldn't get the flag?" Nina whined pushing back at me.

"Were you really trying to get the flag?" I asked growling at her a little, even as I affectionately nuzzled at the top of her head again.

"I was… it's just… you've been…" Nina stammered as she seemed to get caught between pushing me away and pushing closer to me. I knew what she meant though. I grinned against her hair. I'd been… ornery, was the word she used. Though I was pretty sure the right word was horny. After more than a year a couple itches were starting to irritate me. I needed something to kill, and I needed someone to fuck.

I wanted someone pretty specific for the latter.

OOO

AUTHORS NOTE:

I'm so sorry this took so long, I've been going back and forth all this time on what I want to do and my muse shifted. I actually had started to write the chapter and it was completely different. Instead I decided that's where we'll sort of end up, so at least there's that!

I'm also sorry if this chapter seems sort of disjointed. Nina's chapter next will sort of tie it all back together.


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